Broken & Burned
by MelindaM
Summary: Maxie's life is turned upside down when she is rescued from the burning hospital. A Jason & Maxie story.
1. Chapter 1

Yay, another story! I'm excited about this one and I hope all of you guys like it too. :)

Summary: Maxie's life is turned upside down after she is rescued from the burning hospital. A Jason & Maxie story.

Author's Note: A few details of the fire have been changed to make the story more interesting. Italicized parts are flashbacks.

Please R&R! I appreciate every and all comments, good or bad.

Broken & Burned

Chapter 1

"_Help me!"_

_He heard the labored, terrified scream and recognized the trembling voice. Shielding his face from the thick smoke, he braved the flames to rescue her._

_-----------------------------------_

Maxie awoke slowly in a darkened room. The smell alone told her where she was. The hospital. She groaned softly and looked around, letting her eyes adjust to the dark. After just a few moments, the lights came on.

"Miss Jones, how are you feeling? You gave us quite a scare." The doctor, one she had never seen before, walked in and gave her a small yet positive smile.

"Scare?" She asked him, only able to manage a soft whisper. Her voice was hoarse and she was a little confused about all that had happened. She took a moment to survey the room and her petite body. IVs dripped into her slowly, something she was accustomed to.

The doctor nodded his head and made a quick note on the clipboard he was holding. She assumed it held her chart. "You've suffered some light head trauma and major smoke inhalation, both of which are doing much better, thankfully. Do you remember what happened?"

Maxie closed her eyes for a moment and tried to remember. Only a few small tidbits of information came to the surface. "The fire…there was a fire at General Hospital." She told him softly. She remembered the flames vividly; she remembered the heat.

"That's right." He pulled over the rolling chair in the room and sat down, clutching the clipboard to his chest. "You've been in a coma for about two days. Everything seems to be in working order, but I would like to run a few more tests in the morning. Don't be alarmed if you can't remember portions of the events that happened; that's completely normal." He assured her, his voice calm and oddly soothing. "But if you struggle with other everyday things, please let a nurse know. You're in good hands here at Mercy."

She managed a small nod. The doctor excused himself and told Maxie to rest. Doctors always told her to rest. Sighing, she closed her eyes, trying to remember more.

------------------------

The next morning came much too soon. Maxie opened her eyes, feeling a little more alert than she had before. She managed to sit up slightly and noticed a large bouquet of flowers beside her bed. A smile formed on her face as she looked at them. They were clearly an expensive arrangement. Many times, Maxie had sent flowers out for Kate Howard, her boss and sometimes mentor. She knew the variety of flowers alone would cost a pretty penny, not to mention the gorgeous vase they were in.

She reached over and gently touched a petal of one of the dark pink orchids. There was no sign of a card around, so Maxie wasn't sure who they were from. She considered the options: Mac, Spinelli, possibly Kate. But Maxie knew Mac would never spend that much for a bouquet and Kate probably wouldn't have sprung for such a large arrangement for her assistant. That left Spinelli.

Lately, they hadn't been on speaking terms. The fair and beautiful Maximista had reverted back to her old self momentarily and Spinelli had been deeply hurt by her actions. It hurt her to even think about her night with Johnny. The sex had been beyond amazing and it was what they had both been fantasizing about for months. But deep down, Maxie knew it was wrong and it should have never happened.

She sighed softly and laid back down. She felt horrible, but that's how she deserved to feel. Maxie had ruined her relationship with her best friend for good. He had made that perfectly clear.

"Oh, you're up!" An annoyingly cheerful nurse appeared in her room, a huge grin on her face as she eyed the flowers. "Take a look at those beauties. Wow! You are one lucky woman, I'm jealous." She laughed softly and admired them as she moved closer.

"Is there a card somewhere?" Maxie asked, hoping there was. Someone had gone to a lot of trouble to send them to her and she wanted to be able to thank them.

The nurse took a few moments to look around on the table and in the bouquet itself. "No, I don't see one. I can ask around at the desk, maybe one of the other nurses knows." She offered and grabbed Maxie's chart from the end of the bed.

Maxie nodded and smiled slightly. "Thank you, I'd appreciate it."

"Who knows, maybe it's a secret admirer." She giggled and made some notes as she looked at the monitors. "Whoever they are, they sure do have amazing taste."

"They really are gorgeous. I've never gotten flowers like this before." She tucked her hair behind her ear, still a little preoccupied with hating herself.

"Is everything all right, Miss Jones? You seem troubled." The nurse seemed genuinely concerned and Maxie was touched by that, but she didn't want to get into it with a stranger.

"I'm fine, yeah. Just not such a fan of hospitals, you know?" She commented softly before she noticed a familiar face appear in the doorway. "Jason?" Maxie wasn't sure why Jason Morgan of all people would come to visit her. Then she realized there must have been many other people here at Mercy who were also at General Hospital that night. Maybe he had just walked by and spotted her.

The nurse took a quick look at Jason before giving Maxie an approving smile. Maxie shook her head slightly knowing what the nurse was assuming. Jason and Maxie were not together. He tolerated her at best only because of her friendship with Spinelli. It didn't go beyond that.

After the nurse excused herself from the room, Jason walked in slowly. Maxie sat up a little, pulling the thin blankets up as well. "What are you doing here?" She asked weakly, her voice still hoarse. It was difficult to talk, but that wasn't going to shut her up. Maxie liked to talk and it would take a lot more than a sore throat to change that.

"I was visiting Monica down the hall and I noticed you were here. I thought Spinelli might want an update on how you're doing." He spoke quieter than normal and Maxie wasn't sure why. Maybe it was just the hospital atmosphere that softened him.

Maxie sighed and looked down at her hands. "I doubt Spinelli will care too much. I'm sure he's told you that we're not really on speaking terms anymore."

He cleared his throat a little. "He mentioned that, yeah. But he still cares about you."

"Do you know if he's the one who sent the flowers?" She asked, glancing over at them.

Jason rubbed his shoulder with a bandaged hand. Maxie noticed the bandage and others. He was obviously in some pain. "No, I don't know. He could have."

Maxie shrugged a little. "Well I appreciate you checking in on me. It's nice of you." She said softly before coughing a little. It was nice to have a visitor, even if it was Jason of all people.

He nodded a couple times and took a deep breath. "No problem. Can I…do you need anything?" He wasn't sure how to act. Although he got along with Maxie, things weren't comfortable between them.

She was taken aback slightly, not expecting him to offer any sort of service. He hadn't before, but she figured it was probably all out of pity. She knew she must have looked horrible. "Uh, no, I'm okay. Thank you though." Maxie smiled weakly for a moment and then looked Jason over, focusing on his bandages. "Are you okay? You look like you're in worse shape than me."

Jason shrugged. "I'll be all right."

Maxie nodded. Typical Jason. He never wanted help, but she wasn't going to push it. "All right, well take care."

He smiled slightly and nodded as well. "Yeah, you too."

She watched as he walked out of the room, not sure what to think of his visit. She looked over at the flowers again and sighed, wondering about the mysterious sender.


	2. Chapter 2

I'm glad so many of you are excited about this story...it makes me feel good. I'm going to try and update every Wednesday and sometime during the weekend as well, hopefully. We'll see how that goes.

Enjoy! And please review if you have some time. I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Chapter 2

_Coughing uncontrollably, Maxie crawled along the ground as she tried to find a way out. The smoke was so thick she could barely see. Her eyes and throat burned and the heat…the heat was nearly too much to handle._

_After crawling for a few more feet, she collapsed on the ground and called out for help again. She was sure there was no one around, but she wasn't going to give up hope._

_Jason heard her cries again and headed in the direction of her voice… _

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"Those flowers seem to get more and more beautiful each time I see them." The nurse, who Maxie had found out went by the name Janie, came into her room with a grin on her face.

Maxie managed to laugh softly and returned the older woman's smile. It seemed like she was always smiling, but Maxie had to admit that it helped her own attitude. "Yeah, they do, don't they?"

"You are one lucky, lucky girl, Miss Jones." She grabbed the clipboard and started making notes like she did every morning. "Flowers, handsome visitors…" Janie giggled slightly.

"It is nice to have some company, even if it's someone I'm not exactly friends with." Maxie appreciated Jason's visit, even if it was just out of curiosity. It didn't go beyond that, she was sure of it. He just wanted to be able to give Spinelli some news, not that he probably even cared.

Janie gave her a look. "The drugs they have you on must be screwing with your head, honey." She laughed and waved her hand. "Never mind that. I won't keep butting into your life."

"Oh, it's fine, really. Most people in Port Charles usually know what's going on with everyone anyway." Maxie shrugged before another bout of coughs consumed her. Janie quickly poured a glass of water and handed it to Maxie. She drank it down before laying back and closing her eyes. "Thank you."

"It's my job, dear. The coughing should calm down in a few days as long as you have plenty of rest." She informed the younger blonde. "Until then, just keep some water handy and you should make it out okay. It's more annoying than anything, really."

"Yeah, tell me about it." Maxie sighed and pulled the blankets up. "Do you know when I'll be able to get out of here?" She asked, coughing a little once more.

Janie shook her head. "Doctor Montgomery should be in soon and he'd be able to give more information than I can." She finished updating Maxie's chart before placing it back in its place at the end of the bed. "Until then, you should fill me in on the hunk." She suggested with a grin.

Maxie rolled her eyes and smiled. "His name is Jason Morgan, maybe you've heard of him? He's in the mob, so I'm sure you have. I didn't really know him before I became friends with Spinelli. Anyway, Spinelli lives with Jason, so I spent a lot of time there. Normally he wasn't too thrilled to have me around." She explained.

"Well, he is showing some interest now, isn't he?" Janie pulled over the chair and sat down, making herself comfortable. Maxie was sure she had some other patients to see, but she enjoyed her company.

"I don't know if I'd say that. He was just checking on me so he could let Spinelli know how I was doing. Our friendship is going through a rough patch right now, so he's not around. I don't know…" She sighed and tucked her hair behind her ear. "He's just thinking of Spinelli."

"He must be a very good friend to come all the way to the hospital to check up on you." She observed, smiling a little.

Maxie shook her head. "He has some friends and family here too from the fire. It's not like he came just to see me. That's something Jason's wouldn't do on his own."

"Sorry to interrupt ladies, but I believe Janie has someplace to be." Doctor Montgomery walked in and gave Janie a playful glare before grabbing Maxie's chart.

She let out a soft laugh and stood up, patting Maxie's arm gently. "I'll be back later on to check on you, honey. Get some rest."

Maxie smiled and nodded before Janie left and the doctor started his examination. He asked Maxie a few questions which she answered the best she could. She was still having difficulties with remembering all that had happened the night of the fire.

"Don't work your brain too much, Miss Jones. Give it time and it will all come together." He assured her. "For now, just try and rest up. Your stats are looking much better."

"So when can I be released?" She asked, praying the answer was sometime soon. The last thing she wanted was to be stuck in the hospital for much longer.

Doctor Montgomery took a deep breath and reviewed her chart for a moment. "I'd say you can get out of here tomorrow if you keep improving like you are."

Maxie breathed a sigh of relief and smiled a little. "Okay, that sounds great."

His pager beeped a few times and he looked at it briefly. "I need to go take this. I will be back later this afternoon to review your charts again and see how you are."

"Thank you." She said softly and laid back as he quickly left the room. It was only a few moments before another face appeared in the doorway.

Jason.

Maxie sat up once again, not sure what to say. "Hi." She said after a moment of slightly awkward silence.

"Hi." He walked in a little closer before he spoke again. "I told Spinelli that you were okay."

"Oh…okay." She replied softly, not sure how to respond to that. She missed Spinelli and she had hoped he would come visit her himself, but it looked like that wouldn't be happening. "And is he okay?"

"Yeah, he's taking it easy at home. The FBI decided to not press charges, so it looks like he's in the clear with everything."

Maxie smiled a little, glad to hear that. There was no way Spinelli would make it in prison. "That's really good news."

Jason nodded and laced his fingers together in front of him. "So, you're looking better." He commented.

"Thanks…" Maxie said softly and looked away a little. "But I'm not exactly looking good." She laughed softly and ran her hand over her face.

"You look beautiful." He said, before quickly speaking again. "I mean, after all you've been through, you look good." Jason sighed quietly and then laughed a little, rubbing his jaw.

Maxie looked up at him, shocked from the compliment and completely surprised by his laughter. She smiled a little in return.

"I'm not so good at that." He shook his head and smiled, a little embarrassed. "So never mind. I should go."

"Uh…okay, yeah." She wasn't sure how to react. If she wasn't mistaken, Jason had flirted with her in his own little way. "Thanks for stopping by…"

He nodded and turned to leave. Maxie thought he might turn around and say something, but he kept walking.

Maxie laid down and laughed, not believing what had just happened. Jason Morgan told her she was beautiful, which he obviously hadn't meant to say, not to mention a complete lie. But nonetheless, it made her feel good. She actually felt a little beautiful.

:)


	3. Chapter 3

Thanks so much to everyone who has reviewed and/or added me to various lists...I appreciate it! It seems Janie the nurse has become popular, so I'll have to find a way to bring her back sometime in the future. Hope you all enjoy this chapter! I know it's starting off a little slow, but hang in there. :)

Chapter 3

The rest of the day went by slowly. She had no other visitors aside from Janie and Doctor Montgomery, along with a few other nurses from time to time. Jason didn't make another appearance which didn't surprise Maxie at all. She was still preoccupied with thinking about what had happened earlier. She wasn't quite sure what had really happened and decided not to dwell on it.

Maxie flipped channels on the TV for a few moments before a soft knock on the door took away her focus. She smiled when she saw who it was.

"Hey, sweetheart. I'm sorry it took me so long to get here." Mac moved over to his daughter's bedside, pulling over the chair. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm all right." She replied softly. "Bored more than anything." Maxie smiled and laughed a little before changing the subject. "I'm sure work's been busy. Are there any leads?" She turned the TV off and set the remote down on the table beside the bed.

What had happened at the hospital was beyond horrible. Maxie was hazy on the details of how it all started, but she knew enough to know it shouldn't have happened in the first place.

"No." Mac sighed and sat back in the chair. He was visibly tired and stressed. "I mean, the FBI claims they are investigating but it seems like they don't really even care."

Maxie frowned. "So there's basically nothing you can do?" She asked, concerned. The fire had changed so many lives and it was a shame that the FBI wasn't going to claim some responsibility.

He shook his head and shrugged. "We're trying to do everything we can, but they pull rank and it's hard to fight that. I've worked so hard to keep Port Charles safe for years and now this…"

"It's not like it's your fault, Dad." Maxie assured him, reaching over to take his hand. "You couldn't have prevented this, right?"

"I guess not, but that doesn't make it any better. So many people have lost their lives because of this."

Maxie nodded. She wasn't quite sure of all who had died, but she assumed none of the victims were friends or family members. Someone would have told her if that were the case. "So…who died?" She asked, not sure how to phrase the question.

Mac took a deep breath and rubbed his hand over his face. "Well, where should I start?" He asked softly, shaking his head. "Leyla Mir, Trevor Lansing, Anthony Zacchara. At least those two won't be causing problems anymore."

"I'm sure a lot of people are happy about that." She knew Spinelli and Jason would be. Having Anthony out of the picture would make things much easier.

"Death is not normally something to be cheerful about, but in this case, it is a good thing." He agreed with a nod. "Jasper Jacks also didn't make it out. He crashed his helicopter when he tried to make a risky landing on the roof. He was able to rescue a few people before the crash, but he died a hero."

Maxie smiled sadly. She didn't know Jax that well, but he had been respectful and supportive of her work at Crimson. "That's too bad."

"Yeah, it really is. I mean, the papers are focusing on them, but what about all the other patients that burned with the hospital?" Mac was the most upset about that. There was just nothing that could be done to save them all despite all the efforts to move them to safer areas.

Maxie hadn't thought of that. "That's really horrible." She said softly and sighed. "It makes you think, you know? I could have been one of those people. I was lucky to make it out." She still wasn't sure how she made it out, but she was grateful to whoever had helped her. There was no way she would have been able to do it on her own.

"Families are coming into the station wanting answers, but there aren't any. There's nothing you can say that makes it any easier and that's the toughest part." He shook his head and closed his eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath. "Let's focus on happier things, okay?" Mac forced a smile and sat up in the chair.

"All right." Maxie was all for that. It was depressing enough to be stuck in the hospital all day long without thinking of everyone who lost their life. "I met a really nice nurse." She said, deciding to bring up Janie. Just thinking about the cheerful nurse made Maxie smile.

"I'm glad you have someone to keep you company. I'm sorry I can't be around here more." He told her softly.

"No, it's okay. I know you're busy and I'm fine here alone." She assured him and squeezed his hand gently.

"I know, but I feel bad. I should be here." Because of Felicia's absence, Mac had felt the need to be both the mother and father of his daughters. Now with just Maxie left, he wanted to be the best father possible.

"Don't worry about it, Mac. You're here now and that's all that matters." Maxie smiled and looked over at the bouquet of flowers. More had bloomed and it looked even better than it had when she'd first laid eyes on it. "Did you see my flowers?"

He nodded and looked them over. "I did. Who are they from?" Mac had meant to send flowers at some point, but anything he would have gotten would look pathetic in comparison.

"That's a good question. I honestly have no clue. I've been trying to figure it out, but I don't know." She shrugged and smiled wider as she looked at them.

"Maybe you have a secret admirer." Mac joked.

"That's what Janie thinks too, but I'm not sure. I think I would have noticed at some point, you know? I thought they might be from Spinelli, but Jason said he didn't think they were."

"Jason? Jason Morgan?" He asked, not sure why Jason would be visiting Maxie.

She nodded. "Yeah. He was just checking up on me for Spinelli I guess. He knows we're kind of going through some stuff, so…"

Mac frowned, not sure what to think of that.

Maxie saw his expression and sighed. "Mac, calm down. It's not like there's anything between Jason and I. His visits have been completely harmless. All he does is poke his head in for a minute, it's not like he's here for hours on end." She explained.

"All right, if you say so…"

"I do say so. He comes here to visit Monica and whoever else."

He nodded. "There are a lot of people here from the fire. Mercy is very crowded. I'm surprised they haven't released you already."

"The doctor told me it should be soon. Hopefully this time tomorrow I'll be in my own bed." She smiled.

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Like she had hoped, Maxie was released the next morning and decided to head home with Mac instead of going back to the apartment she shared with Lulu Spencer. She really didn't want to have to deal with any drama, especially since Maxie and Lulu were not exactly on good terms. Ever since the news had come out that Johnny slept with Maxie shortly after his breakup with Lulu, the atmosphere in the apartment was tense to say the least.

Besides, being at Mac's house would make Mac more comfortable and Maxie wanted to make things easy on him as well. He was under a lot of stress with all that had happened at General Hospital and she didn't want him to worry about her too.

She laid in bed for the most part and slept. When Maxie needed a change of scenery, she would go downstairs and watch TV for a little while. Mac came in the door one evening just as Maxie was coming down the stairs.

"Hey, how was work?" Maxie asked before seeing the look on Mac's face. "What's wrong? Did something happen?" She questioned, getting concerned.

Mac sighed and took off his jacket. He was so stressed and disgusted with everything lately. It was getting to be too much to handle. "There's been another death. Monica Quartermaine."


	4. Chapter 4

Thanks so much for all the comments! I'm so happy that all of you are liking this and I'm getting such positive feedback. Hope you enjoy this chapter...I jumped ahead a few days.

Chapter 4

"We are gathered here today to remember the life of Monica Quartermaine; a beloved friend, mother and dedicated doctor."

Maxie sat in one of the last few pews of the small church and listened to the priest speak about Monica. During all the heart troubles Maxie experienced since she was little, Monica was there. She had taken her for granted, along with a lot of other people along the way. Now that she was gone, it gave Maxie some things to think about.

She surveyed the room and smiled to herself at the diversity of the group. The Quartermaines were there, of course, along with other doctors and employees from General Hospital. Her eyes landed on Jason for a moment and felt a twinge of heartache. Everyone knew the relationship between Jason and Monica was strained at best. But Maxie knew it must have killed him to lose her.

Jason swallowed hard and tried to keep himself together as the priest continued with the eulogy. He was never big on emotions, but the loss of Monica was taking a toll on him. He regretted not fixing things between them, but he knew their relationship would never be the same as what they once had.

"I now want to take this time to let the people who knew her best to speak and share fond memories of Monica. I encourage everyone to open their hearts, as hard as it may be."

Edward Quartermaine stood up and made his way to the podium at the altar. He took a deep breath before he spoke, his voice soft and filled with emotion. There was no doubt that the Quartermaines had had their share of unfortunate deaths in the recent years and now Monica's name was added to that list.

When he was done speaking, Tracy took her turn. To everyone's surprise, her words were unbelievably touching and evoked tears in almost everyone in attendance. Maxie even caught a glimpse of Jason wiping his eyes discretely. That simple act made tears well in Maxie's eyes. She thought of her own mother who she sometimes felt was better off dead. But to actually have your mother be gone just like that…Maxie knew that was something she would have difficulty handling.

"Monica and I didn't get along. Anyone who was unlucky enough to experience some time with the Quartermaines knows that. But despite all of our differences…I will miss Monica more than I can express."

Jason took a deep breath as Tracy finished up. He knew many people expected him to get up there say something…anything, but he was terrified. As Tracy made her way back to her seat beside Edward, Jason slowly rose to his feet. All eyes were on him as he walked the few feet to the podium.

Maxie clutched her hands together, nervous for Jason. She wasn't sure why she felt so drawn to him or why her heart ached as she watched him up there. Maybe it was because she could relate to what he was going through. As all of Port Charles had remembered, Maxie gave a very heartfelt and passionate speech at Georgie's funeral. It was intimidating to get up there and speak from your heart in front of all those people.

Standing at the podium, Jason took a few moments to collect himself.

-----------------------

"_Maxie!" He called out in between coughs. The smoke was becoming thicker and it was harder for him to see. Jason came across some downed beams and had to turn around. He wasn't that familiar with the layout of the hospital, but he had a feeling he could figure out another route._

_The next hallway he tried was ridden with debris and flames. He knew he was running out of time so he braved them. Shielding himself the best he could, he ran and leaped through the flames._

_-----------------------_

Everyone waited on the edge of their seats. It wasn't everyday that Jason Morgan share his emotions and spoke about his family. Maxie clutched her hands tighter as he started to speak.

"Monica was never proud of what I do for a living." He said softly, looking down at his hands resting on the sides of the podium. "But I knew, even through everything, that she loved me."

Maxie watched as he started to break down. It was clear that he was trying so desperately to hold in his emotions.

"I just wish we would have had more time." He practically whispered and swallowed hard as he started to get choked up. "She deserved better from me." It was then that Jason began to struggle. Words were trying to come out, but they wouldn't. He started to get frustrated, something Maxie knew all too well.

Not able to stop herself, she slowly rose from her seat and moved out of the pew and into the aisle. Holding her head high, she walked down the aisle to the altar. Jason looked at her, not sure what she was doing. Maxie smiled slightly and moved up to the podium with him.

"I know how hard it is to try and get your emotions across. You feel like you have to explain everything and no one understands. Monica understood." Maxie said softly and smiled.

Jason moved away and back to his seat, grateful to Maxie for saving him.

"Many of you know of the problems I've had in the past with my heart. Each time I was in the hospital, Monica was there and she was so understanding of what I was feeling and what I was going through." She took a moment when tears threatened to spill. "It was so comforting to know I had someone there for me besides family or friends. I normally didn't trust doctors, but I trusted her. Needless to say, Monica will be greatly missed." Maxie concluded with a sad smile and returned quickly to her seat.

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"_Where are you?" Jason asked himself on a sigh and he continued his way through the flames and maneuvered around the debris. He coughed a few more times as he finally reached the door. Using his shirt, he jiggled the handle of the door. It was locked._

_Swearing loudly, Jason looked around for anything he could use as a battering ram. Seeing nothing, he stepped back a few feet before slamming his shoulder into the door. It budged but not enough to break through the lock._

_He took another step backwards before ramming into the door once again. It opened and he quickly moved inside, crouching down on the floor beside Maxie. _

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The service concluded and everyone headed outside. It was fairly cold and snow had just started to fall again. Maxie, who had come alone, stayed outside for a while, talking to some of the other guests. She received quite a few compliments on her eulogy.

Out of the corner of her eye, Maxie spotted Jason coming out of the church. She turned her head and locked eyes with him for a moment. They hadn't spoken since the last time he had visited her in the hospital. When she heard about Monica, Maxie wanted to go talk to Jason but she didn't want to impose. After Georgie had died, Maxie wanted space more than anything and she assumed Jason would have been the same way.

She gave him a little smile and he returned it along with a short nod. Maxie turned away and focused herself back on the small group she was standing in. She wasn't sure what they were talking about anymore.

"Maximista?"

Spinelli's voice pulled Maxie away and she turned around. "Spinelli…hey…" She wasn't sure what to say to him. They had stopped being friends weeks ago and hadn't spoken since.

"Your eulogy was very heartfelt. I'm sure Stone Cold appreciated it very much."

Maxie was a little taken aback by how normal he sounded at that moment. She smiled a little. "It was hard to see him up there like that." She shrugged. "I hadn't really planned on saying anything, but I'm glad I did."

He nodded and looked around, obviously not too pleased to be talking to Maxie. Maxie saw it and frowned, deeply hurt. Spinelli had been her best friend. She'd never had anyone in her life like him who she could trust and knew would be there through thick and thin. But that had turned out to be wrong.

"I guess I should get going." She said, breaking the uncomfortable silence. "It was nice to see you." Maxie commented honestly.

Spinelli nodded. "It was indeed."

She quickly walked away, feeling the sting of tears welling in her eyes. She didn't want to cry, but she wasn't able to stop herself.


	5. Chapter 5

A special thanks to Daddy's LiL HeartBreaker for your great reviews and to everyone else who has been reviewing. It helps me a lot, so keep it up! Enjoy this chapter!!

Chapter 5

_Jason gently brushed Maxie's short blonde hair from her face before feeling her neck just under her chin. She had a pulse and he breathed a sigh of relief. Knowing there wasn't much time, Jason picked her up in his arms carefully and cradled her against him._

"_You'll be okay," he whispered as he shielded her face the best he could and carried her out into the hallway._

_The flames were getting worse and Jason was worried he wouldn't be able to get her out. Maxie stirred in his arms as he opened a door. The hot metal burnt his hand and he groaned through the pain. He continued on, reaching the stairs. The staircase was filled with smoke, even more than the hallways were._

_Jason coughed and held Maxie even closer to his body as he made his way down the stairs. His lungs and eyes burned; it took all he had to continue on. It was difficult for Jason to maneuver with Maxie in his arms, but he managed the best he could. The smoke was getting to his head and he found it hard to focus._

_Finally, after what seemed like hours, he saw the finish line. Jason spotted a police officer and called out to him. The younger man rushed over and Jason sat Maxie down on her feet gently. She was conscious, but it was obvious the smoke had gotten to her far worse than Jason has thought at first._

_The police officer took her away and Jason quietly snuck out, keeping a watchful eye on her from a distance._

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The morning after the funeral, Maxie woke up oddly refreshed. The night before, she had cried herself to sleep over Spinelli. She never wanted things to end up like they were and she didn't have the faintest idea of how to fix them. Deciding it would be best to just continue on with her life, she got out of bed and headed for the shower.

Lulu had already left for the day, thankfully. Maxie always appreciated when she had the apartment to herself. She was back at home after staying with Mac for a few days. Her body was mostly back to normal so there was no need to lie around all day.

She started the water in the shower and got out a towel for when she was done. Looking in the mirror for a moment, she sighed. Her mind drifted back to the afternoon before…Monica's funeral. She thought about Jason and wondered how he felt.

Pulling herself back into reality, she stripped off her clothes and climbed into the shower. Maxie closed her eyes as she wet her hair. Images of the burning hospital flashed in her head and she reached a hand out to brace herself against the wall. Slowly, she remembered a little of what happened that night. She remembered being trapped in the room and yelling for help. Then she remembered being carried by someone.

Opening her eyes, she bit her lip as she tried to put together the missing pieces. Jason flashed into her head once again.

"It was Jason!" She said out loud, it had to have been. The man who was carrying her was strong and protective. Everything finally made sense.

Maxie quickly finished up with her shower and dried off before going back to her bedroom. She got dressed, pulling on a pair of jeans and a blouse. After putting on a small amount of make-up, she pulled her hair up and went into the living room to sit down on the couch.

She was more than tempted to run to Jason's, but she didn't know what she would say. Maxie wasn't even sure it was Jason who had rescued her. She figured it wouldn't hurt to find out from Jason himself, if he would even say anything. Getting up from the couch, she headed back into her bedroom to slip on a pair of heels and grab her purse.

On the way to Jason's penthouse, Maxie stopped for some coffee and got one for Jason as well. Black, just like he liked it. Once she made it to the penthouse, she parked and rode the elevator up. As the doors opened, she took a deep breath and walked over to the door. Maxie knocked a few times and waited, trying to think of what she might say.

The door opened and Maxie gave Jason a small smile as she held out one of the thick paper cups. "Can I come in?" She asked softly as she looked over Jason's outfit. He was still in his dress pants and shirt, both very wrinkled. He looked tired too and Maxie assumed he didn't get much sleep.

Jason stepped aside and held the door open, not saying anything. She walked in and set Jason's coffee down on the desk along with her purse.

"I know you probably don't want any visitors, but I think I remember something about the fire." She explained, not wanting to waste his time. "So maybe if you could just tell me what you know…"

He swallowed hard and shut the door before he moved over to the couch. Maxie followed him and sat down in the chair.

"I don't remember very much at all and it's been bothering me ever since I woke up. But this morning, I think I remember a big part of what happened. I think you carried me out of there…" Maxie said softly as she looked over at him.

"I wouldn't have just left you there." He replied quietly. "I heard you call out and there wasn't anyone around."

Maxie smiled a little. "I appreciate it, Jason. I probably would have died if it wasn't for you. Thank you."

He shook his head. "You don't have to thank me."

She rolled her eyes. Maxie had never met anyone remotely like Jason before in her life and she was glad. He was quite a piece of work. "You saved my life, Jason."

"Anyone would have helped you." He countered.

"I highly doubt that, but that's beside the point. You were the one that got me out of there, not anyone else."

He shrugged and got up from the couch and moved over to the desk to pick up the coffee cup. "I haven't slept much the past couple of days." Jason mentioned softly, changing the subject.

Maxie nodded and took a sip of her latte before setting it down on the coffee table. "That's understandable. After Georgie died I didn't sleep much either. Not unless I cried myself to sleep, but that wouldn't last for very long before I had a nightmare or something."

Jason sighed and took a seat on the couch again as he took a few long drinks of the coffee. "Thanks for this." He said, holding up the cup a little. "And for yesterday…"

She shook her head. "You don't have to thank me. I had been thinking of saying something and it all worked it out. I know what it's like to struggle with that sort of thing."

"Yeah," he said simply.

"I think everyone was just happy you said something, you know? After all you've been through with Monica and all of the Quartermaines…it was good of you to say what you did, Jason. For other people it wouldn't have been much, but for you…for you it was a lot. I'm sure Monica was very happy." Maxie said softly and reached over to squeeze his hand gently.

Jason wrapped his fingers around hers for a moment, savoring the comfort he felt. Maxie looked at their hands and noticed the bandages again.

"How bad were you burned?" She asked, slowly pulling her hand away.

"I'll be fine."

Maxie laughed softly. "Typical answer, but I guess I'll just have to take it." She smiled and stood up, not wanting to overstay her welcome. "I'm guessing Spinelli's not around, is he?"

He shook his head. "No he left a little bit ago."

She nodded and sighed. Part of her had hoped maybe they could talk, but she really didn't want to spend another day being upset. "Okay, well I guess I'll see you around." She grabbed her coffee and headed over towards the door.

Jason followed her and rubbed his jaw like Maxie had seen him do many times. She wasn't sure what it meant, if anything.

Maxie stood there for a second before she set her coffee down and moved over to Jason to give him a quick hug. He hugged her back slightly and they stayed like that for a few moments before Maxie pulled away.

"Thanks again…for everything." She smiled slightly.

"We're even."

She shook her head. "Not even close." Maxie whispered before grabbing her things and walking out the door.


	6. Chapter 6

I have a feeling you guys are gonna like the ending of this chapter....enjoy!

Chapter 6

Maxie had decided it would be best to give Jason some space. Dealing with losing a family member was extremely difficult and Maxie wanted to respect his process, whatever that was. She was concerned about how he was dealing with it, especially after she had pieced everything together. He had saved her life and she owed him everything. If it wasn't for Jason Morgan, she would have died in that burning hospital.

She headed into work carrying a hot coffee for Kate and herself. Usually, it was Lulu's job to bring in the coffee, but Maxie wasn't going to rely on her. After everything that had happened between the two of them, she wasn't going to risk Lulu sabotaging her in any way. Unlike Lulu, Maxie actually valued and appreciated her job. The fashion world was her passion and there was no way Lulu of all people would stand in her way.

Kate was missing, which wasn't all too surprising. Things had gotten busy at Crimson and Kate was always off doing who knows what. Most of it had nothing to do with the magazine and it frustrated Maxie. She felt like she was the only one who really seemed to care lately. Especially with Jax dead, it was hectic. Maxie didn't understand why Kate wasn't trying to make sure everything would continue to be okay, but she decided not to let herself worry.

Channeling Spinelli for a moment, she gave herself a quick pep talk and turned on her laptop to get started for the day. Kate had left very specific instructions for her and Lulu. Of course, Maxie would have to take on all the tasks herself. It was something she was used to and had stopped complaining about it. There was nothing she could do about it. As far as Kate was concerned, Maxie and Lulu were a package deal.

She quickly browsed the list and groaned out loud. It was going to be a very long couple of days.

------------

Jason was still having trouble sleeping. He tried all the tricks but nothing worked. Spinelli had attempted to help him out as well, but he only managed to infuriate his beloved Stone Cold.

Not able to sit around any longer, Jason put on his worn leather jacket and pulled the gun box down from the top shelf of the closet. He put in his code and opened it up as he took a deep breath. There was some unfinished business he had to take care of and he figured there was no time like the present.

Spinelli was sound asleep upstairs in his regrettably pink room, as he referred to it, and Jason was glad his friend wouldn't try and interfere.

Slipping the gun into the back waistband of his jeans, he headed out the door into the pitch black night.

-------------

Maxie had been working her little butt off all week and had barely any free time for herself. Finally, she was able to take part of the day off and spent the morning sleeping in. When she got up, she headed into the living room and flipped on the television.

"This just in to the newsroom: Jason Morgan, known mob-enforcer has been taken into custody for suspicion of murder. With more on this breaking story we turn to Trish Wilson outside the Port Charles Police Department."

"Thank you, Steve..."

Maxie quickly turned up the volume and listened to the woman speak about what was going on. An old mug shot of Jason appeared on the screen and Maxie covered her mouth. Seeing Jason on the news wasn't anything new to anyone in Port Charles. But this time, Maxie was more concerned than she ever had been.

She didn't know what to think. Apparently they thought he murdered some rival mob member the night before. Maxie wasn't sure if she believed it. Jason had to have still been grieving over the loss of Monica.

When they finished up with the story, Maxie shut off the television and headed into the bathroom to take a shower and get ready for the day. In the shower, she decided she would head to the station to find out just what was going on for herself.

She owed Jason that much, didn't she? She had to try and help him the best she could; it was the least she could do.

After showering and getting dressed, Maxie applied a little makeup and did her hair. She checked herself out in the mirror and decided it was certainly good enough for an appearance at the PCPD.

On the car ride over, she debated whether or not to go through with it. It wasn't like she could just barge in there and demand to see Jason. First off, Mac would completely flip and that was something she wanted to avoid. Second, she didn't even know if Jason would want to see her. It wasn't like they were automatically friends now, after all.

She pulled into the parking lot and shut off the car. There were news crews in front of the station so Maxie opted to use the side entrance instead. Once inside, she caught Mac's attention amidst all the chaos.

"You shouldn't be here right now, Maxie." He said, making his way over to his daughter. "There is a lot going on today."

"Yeah, I can see that." She laughed softly and looked around a little. "I just wanted to come by and say hi, but it looks like you're busy," Maxie lied, trying to think of some excuse.

"To say the least. I think this is finally what we've all been waiting for." Mac was clearly pleased.

"I know this is probably asking a lot and I'm sure you're going to say no, but could I have just a few minutes with Jason? It's about a surprise for Spinelli that I'm trying to finish and I really, really need his help. Please Mac…" It was a total lie, but she figured something like that would be the only thing to get her inside the interrogation room. Mac didn't know about her "break-up" with Spinelli either.

"Maxie, it's not a good idea." He sighed.

Mac was thinking about it, she could tell. She had gotten good at reading his expressions which came in quite handy.

"Jason's going to be in here for a while, isn't he? All I'm asking for is a few minutes."

"You'll have to ask Diane." He sighed again, giving in.

Maxie smiled and kissed his cheek. "Thank you! Spinelli will thank you too!" She said excitedly and made her way over to where Diane was arguing with some other lawyer. "Excuse me, Diane?"

"Oh, Maxie." Diane turned around, a little puzzled. "Unless you have some samples for me, I really don't have time to help you right now." She smiled a little as she thought about the newest pair of shoes Kate had let her have.

"Actually I don't need much from you." She explained. "I was wondering if you'd let me have just a few minutes of Jason's time…"

Diane looked even more confused and then simply shrugged. "I'm sure you won't hurt anything. I need hunt down some paperwork anyway, so be my guest."

"Thanks Diane." Maxie smiled. "You will certainly be the first one I call when we get some more samples in." She assured her before heading into the interrogation room.

When Maxie opened the door and walked in, Jason looked up in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

Maxie took a deep breath and fiddled with her hair a little. She shrugged. "I don't really know." She laughed softly and set her purse down on the table. "I made up some story about a surprise for Spinelli in order to get in here."

Jason sat back in his chair, his hands cuffed in front of him. He was a little glad to see Maxie, but he didn't want her involved in any way. The murder charges were his problem to deal with; no one else's. "You shouldn't be in here."

"I know that." She nodded. "Even being in your proximity isn't a great idea. Everyone's told me that. You've told me that before."

"Because it's true." He said in his normally calm voice. Despite it all, he seemed to be doing okay. But then again, Jason always seemed that way.

Maxie crossed her arms over her chest. "I know. But after everything…I feel like I owe you something, you know? You saved my life."

Jason brought his hands up to his face and sighed. "This is what I didn't want to happen, Maxie. You don't owe me anything."

"But I do, Jason." She put her hands flat on the table, leaning on them. "There has to be something I can do to help you. I want to do something."

Getting frustrated, he pushed himself away from the table and stood up. "I don't want you involved, Maxie!" He told her firmly.

"Well that's not for you to decide." Maxie countered as Jason moved towards her.

"Please…" Jason said, calming down a little. "Just go. I appreciate the offer, but there's nothing you can do. And I don't want you to do anything."

Maxie sighed and shook her head. "No." She whispered, looking up into his pale blue eyes. They looked right into her soul and took her breath away. Slowly, she licked her lips.

Something changed in Jason's eyes in that moment. Maxie wasn't sure what it was, but it scared her a little. Within seconds, his lips were on hers.


	7. Chapter 7

Last chapter got so many responses-thank you guys! I appreciate it so much. As requested, Janie resurfaces in this chapter...enjoy!

Chapter 7

Maxie couldn't move. She was so shocked and stunned at Jason's actions she could barely think logically.

The kiss started slow and gentle and Maxie melted against him. His wrists still cuffed together, he broke the kiss quickly and looped his arms around Maxie's petite body. Not even a second passed before Jason greedily captured her lips again.

There was no denying Maxie was aroused. She couldn't remember the last time a man had kissed her like that. But it wasn't just the kiss. For years, she had the fantasy of having some quality alone time with a special someone in the interrogation room.

A soft moan escaped her lips as she felt herself being laid back on the table. For a moment, she thought she was dreaming. Why else would Jason Morgan be ravishing her to mush in real life?

The kiss came to an abrupt stop and Maxie whimpered softly. Jason quickly pulled her to her feet once more and lifted up his arms to free her from his hold. She stumbled back slightly, still a little dizzy from the passion and arousal.

When Maxie saw Diane in the doorway, she gasped and covered her mouth. Maxie had no clue what had just happened and now there was a witness. That was just what she needed. How would she ever be able to explain it to Mac if he found out?

"What do we have here?" Diane asked, slowly crossing her arms over her chest. Her head was tilted to the side and Maxie wasn't sure how to read the expression on her face. It was somewhere between confusion and intrigue with a little splash of anger.

"Uh…" Maxie couldn't even come up with something coherent to say. Deciding it would be best to just flee the situation, she quickly grabbed her purse and slid past Diane to leave.

Jason watched Maxie run out and ran his hands over his face.

"Care to explain?" His lawyer asked as she shut the door behind her. "What the hell are you doing with the Police Commissioner's daughter? You have enough to deal with now, Jason. The last thing either of us need is you to be getting involved with Maxie."

Moving to the other side of the table, Jason sat down in the chair again. Diane opted to pace on the other side, her heels clicking with each step.

"I mean, Maxie has impeccable taste, I won't deny that. She always gives me some of the absolute greatest samples. Just the other day I got these gorgeous shoes…" Diane sighed in content as she thought about them.

Jason rolled his eyes and sighed as well. He knew it was a bad idea to kiss Maxie, but he couldn't help himself in the moment. He couldn't explain why either. There was an attraction there on a much deeper level than just the physical.

Diane continued to talk about her newest handbag and Jason ran his hands over his face again.

"Diane…stop." He said firmly and shook his head. "There's nothing to worry about." He assured her, trying to convince himself more than anyone.

"Nothing to worry about?" She threw her hands in the air. "You were on top of the girl when I walked in!"

He couldn't deny that. Things had gotten a little out of hand between him and Maxie.

"I…" Before he could get another word out, the door opened and Sam walked in.

"Hey." She said softly in her normal, breathy voice. "How's everything coming along?" Even through the rocky times, Sam had always cared about Jason's wellbeing.

Jason was a little surprised to see her. "I don't know. Just like normal I guess." He responded with a shrug.

Since the fire, Jason and Sam had started to get closer once again. They worked together just like old times. It brought up a lot of old feelings for both of them and Jason found himself conflicted about how to handle them. They had been good together at one point, but he couldn't forget about the things that had happened to tear them apart.

"Is there anything that I can do to help?" Sam asked, genuinely concerned about Jason.

He shook his head. "No, I'll be all right. Just stay out of it."

She sighed and nodded at his normal response. "All right, don't say I didn't offer."

Diane stood off to the side and watched the interaction between the two former lovers and wasn't sure what to make of it. Sam seemed interested in reconnecting. Jason, on the other hand, was unreadable like always.

Sam left after another few moments and Diane shook her head at Jason. He had gotten himself into quite the dilemma.

----------------

After rushing out of the PCPD, Maxie found herself driving towards Mercy. She needed to talk to someone about what had happened and wasn't sure where else to go. Maxie didn't have any friends, especially now that her and Spinelli weren't speaking. Not that she would ever be able to talk to Spinelli about kissing Jason. She didn't even want to imagine how that would go over.

Maxie parked and headed inside. As she headed for one of the nurse's stations, she heard a familiar voice.

"Maxie! Oh, I'm so happy to see you!" Janie's unmistakable voice brought a smile to Maxie's face.

"Hey!" She replied just as enthusiastically as she turned around. "Just the person I wanted to see."

Janie put the charts down on the counter before leading Maxie over to the lounge area. "How are you feeling? Is the cough better?" She asked as they both took a seat.

Maxie nodded. "Yeah, it is. I've been feeling normal for quite a few days, thankfully. And that has a lot to do with you." She smiled.

The older woman waved her hand. "No, no no. I can't take credit for that." She smiled. "Like I always say…"

"You were just doing your job." Maxie laughed softly, finishing her sentence for her. "That's what everyone says."

They made small talk for a little bit longer before Janie decided to change the subject.

"How's the hunk of a man who always came to visit?" She asked with a smile.

Maxie shook her head and smiled too. "Well, this is quite the time for you to ask that. He kissed me earlier and I'm completely confused." She sighed and fiddled with the bracelet she was wearing.

"Well, did you talk to him about it? How did it happen?" Janie questioned and leaned in a little.

"Jason's in jail for suspicion of murder and I went to go visit him at the police station." She explained. "I told him I wanted to help him and he told me not to get involved, which is his usual response to everyone. Then all of a sudden, he just kissed me. The next thing I knew, we were on the table in the interrogation room making out. It was surreal."

Janie fanned herself and giggled. "Oh wow!

Maxie laughed a little. "Yeah, tell me about it. It was cut short though when his lawyer walked in on us. Needless to say, it got a little awkward."

"Okay, so what did you do?"

"I practically ran out of there and came here. I didn't even look at Jason on the way out. To be honest, I'm kind of embarrassed. I mean, it's not like there's anything between Jason and I…I just don't know what to do."

Janie reached over and squeezed Maxie's hand gently. "You'll be fine, I'm sure of it. You just need to ask yourself how you feel about the situation."

Maxie thought for a moment and then sighed. "I don't know how I feel. I mean, I've never really given it any thought, you know?"

"Well there is no need to rush into anything, honey. If there's something there now, there will be something there later on. And if he's in jail, well…"

She nodded. "Yeah, I know. Jason isn't the greatest boyfriend candidate. I don't even know why I'm thinking about this. There's no way in hell this could happen. It just would not work."

A page came over the intercom and Janie stood up. "That's me."

"Oh, okay." Maxie stood up as well. "Thank you so much for the advice, I really appreciate it."

They said their goodbyes and Maxie headed back out to the car. Talking to Janie really helped and Maxie was glad she had made a good friend in her.

After leaving the hospital, Maxie headed to Kelly's for some coffee. She talked to Mike for a few moments before sitting down at one of the tables.

A few minutes later, the door opened and the small bells jingled as Diane walked in. Maxie bit her lip, preparing for what Diane might have to say. She didn't really want to get into it with her.

"Hello, Maxie." She made her way over to the table and smiled. "I was hoping we could discuss the little situation from earlier."

"Yeah, I guess so." Maxie gestured to the seat across from her.

"Would you care to explain what I walked in on?" Diane asked as she slipped off her jacket and sat down.

"Honestly I don't even know what happened. We were just talking and then he kissed me." She said, trying to explain. "We're not together or anything like that if that's what you're thinking."

"The last thing Jason needs right now is to be connected to the Police Commissioner's daughter."

She nodded. "Yeah, I know. I won't go to the PCPD again. I don't need all the drama either. I have enough of my own, believe me."

"Because I happen to like you, I'm going to give you a little piece of advice." Diane leaned forward, resting her arms on the table. "I understand the draw to Jason, but it would be a terrible idea to let things continue. I don't want anyone to be caught up in more drama than they need, especially Jason."

Maxie nodded again and took a sip of her coffee. "I don't plan on letting it get any further. I don't know why the kiss happened anyway to be honest. Jason and I are way too different for anything good to happen." There was also the issue of Spinelli. He was a mutual friend and if Maxie and Jason were to get involved, that would cause even more problems between them.

"I'm glad you realize that, Maxie. You have a good head on your shoulders, you really do. I admire that about you."

The blonde smiled a little. "Thank you, Diane. I admire you too. You certainly put up with a lot."

She laughed. "Tell me about it."

Diane's phone rang and she quickly excused herself to answer it outside. Maxie finished off her coffee and sighed as she sat back in her chair. Things had just gotten so much more complicated.


	8. Chapter 8

I know there are a lot of unanswered questions and confusion, but I promise everything will be cleared up at some point...mainly the flowers and who sent them, etc. Anyway, I changed my mind about the direction of the story, so I hope you enjoy what's coming up! As always, please review!

Chapter 8

Later that day, Maxie headed back to her apartment to relax. She drew a bath and settled in, closing her eyes. Maxie was unsure of what would happen with her next. She was confident that Diane would be able to get Jason cleared of all the charges. Even though Maxie believed he did it, she still didn't want to see him end up behind bars.

And after that kiss…she was confused and anxious. Jason was not the type of man to make a move like that so out of the blue. There had to have been some explanation; some reason why. Maxie was determined to figure out that reason, one way or another.

She finished up with her bath and dried off before changing into her pajamas which consisted of a small tank top and short shorts. Lulu was out somewhere, so Maxie curled up on the couch with the new issue of Vogue.

Hours later, after finally finishing all three hundred delectable pages, she headed to bed.

------------

Jason debated whether or not he should go to Maxie's apartment. Diane had miraculously gotten him released for the time being and he knew he was probably being monitored. But after what had happened the day before in the interrogation room, he felt the need to explain.

He rode his motorcycle over to the apartments and headed to her door. Jason took a deep breath and knocked a couple times, hoping Maxie was home. The last thing he needed was to try and make up some excuse for Lulu about why he was there.

The knock startled Maxie. She was just on her way out the door to run some errands before work. Setting her purse down on the small table inside the door, she opened the door. The sight of Jason standing there surprised her.

"What are you doing here?" She asked, memories of the kiss flooding her brain again. "How did you even know where I live?"

He shrugged slightly and walked in as she stepped aside. "I was hoping we could talk."

Maxie shut the door and turned around slowly. "Talk? About what?" She questioned, trying to act casual about the whole situation.

"I uh…I shouldn't have kissed you the other day." He said softly, not wanting to make it any more awkward by beating around the bush.

"It's fine, really. No big deal." She assured him with a wave of the hand. "That tends to happen a lot with me." Maxie laughed softly and shook her head. "I mean, it has happened with Spinelli a couple times and then Johnny of course…" she rambled.

Jason looked away for a moment, really not too interested in hearing about the guys she'd kissed. "I just felt like I should apologize."

"Okay, apology accepted." Maxie replied quickly before mentally berating herself for acting so ridiculous.

"I'm back together with Sam, kind of." He added as he clasped his hands together.

Maxie stood there, just a little shocked. Jason had kissed her even though he was with Sam again. "What? Are you serious?"

He nodded, obviously feeling a little bad about his actions. "I'm sorry."

"Yeah, you should be. Who does that?" She rolled her head and sighed. "You know what, never mind. It's fine. The kiss didn't mean anything to either of us, right? There's nothing to worry about. It was a mistake."

Jason nodded again. "I just wanted to tell you the truth."

"Well, I guess I can appreciate that, Jason. You can go now; I have to get to work." Maxie opened the door for him and stepped aside.

-------------

"_Excuse me, could you give me Maxie Jones' room number?" Jason asked. _

_The nurse quickly checked the computer before jotting down the number. She slid it across the counter, but kept her hand on the small piece of paper._

"_We're really only supposed to let family in because of her condition."_

_Jason rubbed his jaw. "I'm her boyfriend." He lied. "Does that count?"_

_The nurse looked at him questionably before lifting her hand. "Certainly."_

_He thanked her softly and took the slip of paper before heading off in the direction of Maxie's room._

--------------

Back at the penthouse, Jason grabbed a beer out of the fridge. It was early, but he didn't give a damn. Maxie was upset and he didn't blame her. She had every right to be angry about what he did. It wasn't right of him.

"Jason!"

He heard Carly's voice on the other side of the door before she knocked twice.

"Come on, open up…"

Ever since Jax's death a couple weeks before, Jason had made sure Carly was doing all right. Surprisingly, she seemed to be handling everything remarkably well, especially for Carly standards.

He headed over to the door and set his beer down on the desk before opening it. "Hey." He smiled and moved aside to let her in.

She returned his smile and walked inside, taking off her jacket. "I hope you're not busy this weekend."

Jason sighed. She was going to force him to do something he wouldn't want to do.

"Oh, stop. You don't even know what it is yet, Jason." Carly laughed softly and hit him playfully. The two had been friends for years and even more at one point. She knew she could always count on him.

He moved over to the couch and sat down, grabbing his beer again.

"Isn't it a little early for that? Did something happen?" She asked, joining him on the couch.

"No, it's nothing." He shook his head before setting the bottle down once more. "What are you planning for this weekend?"

"Well, I wanted to do something to honor Jax. So, I have put together a special mystery date night." She told him with a grin. "To get in, you make a donation and then the women pick their date from a bowl. It will be held at the Metro Court, of course and all the proceeds will go to Jax's favorite charity." Carly paused and studied Jason's expression for a moment. "You told me I should focus on something positive and that's what I'm doing, Jason."

He nodded. "I know. Can't I just make a large donation and call it good? You know these kinds of events aren't my thing."

"Oh, come on. Please, Jase. It's important to me. I won't ask you to do anything for me for the rest of the month, how's that?"

"There's only like a week left of the month." He pointed out.

She laughed and patted his leg. "I know that. So what do you say? Will you come?"

Reluctantly, he nodded and reached for his beer.

---------------

"Maxie, will you come in here please?" Kate called from her office.

"Coming!" Maxie finished up an email quickly before heading into Kate's office. "I've already talked to Clarice about the layout and I scheduled the photo shoots for Tuesday like you requested."

"Thank you, Maxie. But that is not why I called you in here."

"Oh, okay. What is it then? Is it about Lulu, because I really have no clue what's going on with her."

Kate shook her head. "No, it is not about Lulu either, although it is getting to be frustrating. Anyway, there is a charity event at the Metro Court Saturday evening and I would like Crimson to be represented."

"Meaning I'm going?" Maxie asked, excited. She welcomed the chance to get out and get her mind off everything. "What kind of event is it? No, never mind. I'll go to anything at this point."

"Well, I'm sure you will enjoy yourself. It's on behalf of Jax and it's a blind date match-up sort of thing, if I'm clear on the details."

That wasn't exactly what Maxie had pictured, but it was better than nothing. Besides, there were destined to be a lot of rich men there and that was certainly something she was interested in.

"Will I be able to borrow a dress?" Maxie asked, crossing her fingers behind her back.

"Of course, any one you'd like." Kate smiled at the younger woman. "We can discuss it more later, Maxie. Please get Clarice on the phone for me, I'd like to speak with her."

Maxie nodded. "Right away." She said before walking out of the office and back to her desk.

-----------------

The elevator chimed as the doors slid open. Maxie turned around in her chair and watched Diane walk in.

"Kate's on the phone…" Maxie informed her, hoping she wouldn't bring up the events of the morning.

"All right, I will wait then." She looked around the office, admiring a few dresses hanging on a rack.

Maxie felt a little awkward ignoring the woman, so she decided to suck it up. "I have to decide on a dress to wear to the event on Saturday. I was thinking the black one, but I'm not sure."

Diane nodded. "Well, given the reason for the event, I'd stay away from black if you know what I mean."

"Oh, good point." She agreed. Black would seem too somber for an event that was supposed to be happy. "Maybe the short green one then? There are these amazing stilettos that would go perfect with it."

"Shoes certainly make the outfit, don't they? Can I see them?" She asked with a smile. Shoes were Diane's weakness.

Maxie smiled back and headed into the other room to grab them. When she returned with them, Diane practically fainted.

"Oh my…holy…praise the Lord these are…these are the most beautiful things I've ever seen! I'll give you five thousand for them right now." She offered.

Maxie laughed. "No way! These are mine." She pulled them away and hugged them to her chest.

"Fine." Diane sighed. "They would look better on you anyway." She conceded.

"Oh, Diane." Kate came out of her office and smiled. "It's nice to see you."

The two women headed into Kate's office to chat and Maxie sat down again, feeling a little better about her relationship with Diane. She was confident Diane wouldn't make it into a big deal. If only her mind could do the same thing.


	9. Chapter 9

Shorter chapter than usual, but I'm gearing up for what's to come. Hope you're all sticking with me...I'm getting a little bored, but that's my own fault. It'll get better, I promise. Enjoy!

Chapter 9

Maxie took her time getting ready the afternoon of the charity event. The day before, she had splurged and got hair extensions put in. With the dress she was wearing, longer hair looked much better so it was well worth the time and money. Kate had supplied her with all the accessories and had written out a check on behalf of herself and Crimson to be given to Carly that evening.

When it came time to put the dress on, Maxie dabbed a little perfume on her wrists and neck before removing the plastic wardrobe covering. She grinned and ran her fingers over the fabric before undoing the zipper. Slowly and carefully, Maxie slipped into the dress and zipped it up.

It fit like a glove; a very expensive designer glove. She did a little turn in front of the mirror, admiring the cut and fit.

"Perfect." She said aloud as she did another turn. Maxie glanced at the clock and decided she better head to the Metro Court. She slipped on her shoes and grabbed her clutch packed with the essentials and headed out the door.

--------------

As Jason put on his suit jacket, he groaned. He hated charity events with a passion, but he knew he would have to just suck it up. He was going for Carly's sake and on behalf of Jax. Jason hadn't been Jax's biggest fan, but Carly had loved him and that alone made Jason a little more receptive.

He checked himself in the mirror and straightened his tie. He would have preferred to have gone without one, but it was supposed to be formal.

"Wow, Stone Cold is looking very debonair this evening." Spinelli commented as he made his way downstairs. "What's the occasion?"

"Carly's making me go to the charity benefit for Jax at the Metro Court. It's some date thing, I'm not really sure." He explained.

"One woman will be very lucky to be paired with Stone Cold."

Jason shrugged. "Maybe you should come tonight." He suggested. Spinelli had been moping around the penthouse ever since he and Maxie had ended their friendship. "It might be good for you."

Spinelli shook his head and sighed. "The Jackal isn't quite ready for that yet."

Jason sighed too. "Why don't you just talk to Maxie? It's getting pathetic, Spinelli."

"In time, maybe the disloyal Maximista and I will be friends again. But for now, the Jackal must be on his own."

"Suit yourself." Jason said, fixing his tie once again. "I'll be back later." He said, taking another look in the mirror to make sure he looked decent enough before he left and headed for the Metro Court.

---------------

Jason arrived at the Metro Court and headed up to the restaurant where the event was being held. The elevator doors opened and he took a deep breath. Carly had done an amazing job with the décor.

She spotted him and grinned as she waved him over. "You look very handsome." Carly gave him a quick hug before smoothing out his jacket. "Thank you for coming, Jason. I know you don't want to be here."

He shrugged. "It's for a good cause."

She smiled. "That's right. It's for a very good cause and who knows, maybe you'll enjoy yourself tonight."

Jason looked around a little. His eyes landed on the young woman walking out of the elevator. Maxie. She looked up and stopped suddenly when her eyes met Jason's. Averting her eyes, she continued walking, making her way down the few steps carefully.

Carly noticed where Jason's eyes had landed and was a little surprised and confused. Maxie was not the typically woman Jason went for, not to mention the age difference between them. But there was something different in his eyes; something she couldn't quite figure out.

"Jason?" Carly said, getting his attention back on her. She smiled a little and lifted an eyebrow. "Is there something you'd like to share with me?"

"What? No." He shook his head and rubbed his neck. "I was just thinking about Spinelli. Him and Maxie are having some issues."

"All right…well, I need to go mingle with my guests. Get yourself a drink…relax." She smiled and kissed his cheek.

-------------

When Carly separated herself from Jason, Maxie decided to head over. She found it a little difficult to walk in her heels so she took it slow.

"This place looks amazing, Carly." She complimented and smiled when she reached Carly.

"Oh, thank you. I'm glad you could make it." The older woman smiled back and looked over Maxie's outfit. "That is one gorgeous dress."

"I'm only borrowing it for tonight." Maxie explained before she opened up her clutch and pulled out the check. "Kate wanted me to give this to you on behalf of Crimson.

Carly took the check and looked it over. "Thank you so much. Jax would really have appreciated this."

Maxie nodded. "I'm looking forward to tonight. There are a lot of attractive men here." She laughed softly as she looked around. Jason was near the bar and Maxie quickly looked away. The last thing she needed was another _situation_ to arise.

"There certainly are. We'll be getting started with the matching up soon, so enjoy yourself."

"I will, thanks." They shared another smile before Carly excused herself to go mingle.

A waiter came around with some water glasses and Maxie took one. She took a few sips and started up a conversation with another woman. They talked about their outfits which led to talking about Crimson, of course. The other woman seemed very interested and Maxie was happy to share.

It was a welcome change to talk to someone again. She missed being able to tell Spinelli all that had happened at work or in everyday life. Oddly enough, she was tempted to start writing a diary at one point, but quickly shot that idea down. No way was she going to turn into one of those women.

The woman, who Maxie figured was around thirty, had a lot to say about fashion. Maxie did her best to not offend the woman who didn't have much clue about fashion. She had managed to pick out a good outfit, but her accessories were all wrong.

After a few more minutes of discussing fashion and working at Crimson, Carly gathered everyone together to begin the match-ups.

"The ladies will each take a turn drawing a name out of this bowl." An assistant held up the large glass bowl filled with small slips of paper. "Once you have your date, feel free to sit down at a table and get to know each other. If you feel the need…" She smiled. "There are rooms available." Carly pointed over to where the room keys were located. "Okay, let's get this started."

All the ladies lined up and the drawing began. Maxie was one of the last to go and she looked around at the selection of men left before she reached her hand into the bowl and pulled out a slip of paper. Slowly, she opened it up and looked at the name.

"Jason Morgan." Carly called out with a smile as she looked over Maxie's shoulder. "Lucky girl." She whispered, giving Maxie a wink.

Maxie took a deep breath and looked over her shoulder at Jason who was still over near the bar. He looked just as shocked and horrified as she was. There was no way this could end good.


	10. Chapter 10

I was feeling generous today and I wanted to take some time to single out a few reviewers...

**Daddy's LiL HeartBreaker:** You are always the first review I get in my inbox and I'm always so excited to hear your thoughts. So thank you very, very much!

**alikat224:** I love to read all your comments about what you think should/will happen. Of course most of those things never happen haha, but I like being able to see what others are expecting nonetheless. I'm glad I've brought you to the Jason and Maxie lovers side. They have so much potential, who couldn't like them? Keep up the great work with your story, I'm looking forward to more! Thank you so much for the steady stream of reviews. They brighten my day. :)

**Dee:** "Lower cuddling" will happen eventually, don't you worry! Your comments always crack me up and I certainly appreciate your enthusiasm about my story...so thank you so very much!

Thanks to everyone else who reviews as well. I appreciate every single one, even if it's just telling me that you love the story. Sometimes I'm not loving it, so those help me.

Oh Oh! A lovely friend of mine put together a Jason and Maxie video for me and it's AMAZING! She hadn't read the story but somehow managed to capture some of the basics. (Just imagine Sam as Liz in the video.) So check it out along with some of her other fantastic videos...she has tons! /watch?v=SJw9j7cIM9Q Hopefully there will be a sequel soon...I'm crossing my fingers. Thanks Meghan!!! If that link doesn't work, search on YouTube for I'm Holding on a Rope.

Anyway, onto the next part of the story...the start of the date! Enjoy and review please!

Chapter 10

Maxie took a deep breath and tried not to overreact to the situation. They wouldn't have to spend too much time together anyway, so how bad could it be?

Carly gestured for Jason to come over as Maxie stepped away. It was already awkward and Jason was worried it was only going to get worse. But for Carly's sake, he would suck it up and deal with it.

As she waited for Jason to walk over, Maxie took a deep breath and clutched her purse tighter in her hands. She didn't want to appear nervous, but she was having a hard time hiding it. Maxie was still angry and upset over what had happened, especially after he told her he was practically back together with Sam.

"Maybe I should talk to Carly about this." Jason suggested softly when he reached her.

"And tell her what?" Maxie asked. "That things are too awkward between us because you kissed me and you have a girlfriend?"

He sighed. "Let's just sit down and get this over with." Jason gestured over to an open table.

Maxie walked over and sat down, setting her clutch down on the table. She opened it up and pulled out a tube of her favorite lip gloss and a small compact mirror before she started to apply it. Jason joined her at the table and watched her.

She looked beautiful that night and he felt bad that neither of them would be enjoying themselves that much. It was clear she had put in a lot of effort to make herself gorgeous, not that it took much. Regardless, it was kind of a waste of a perfectly good evening.

"I guess we should just move on, right? Be civil to each other." Maxie said as she put her things back in her purse. "There's no reason why this night has to be a total waste for both of us. I mean, so you kissed me. It happens a lot and I've had no problem getting over it in the past." She explained, looking around a little to make sure no one was overhearing their conversation.

Jason nodded a little. "It was a mistake."

Maxie took a deep breath. For some reason, him referring to their kiss as a mistake upset her. "I'm glad it was so horrible for you." She commented and rolled her eyes. "Why can't you just fess up, Jason? Something like that doesn't happen out of nowhere. How can it be such a mistake when it was obviously something you wanted?"

He didn't know how to respond to that. Jason did feel stupid for calling it a mistake. Maxie was right in saying that he wanted it, but there was the whole Sam situation to consider. Of course, he should have considered that before he jumped all over the younger blonde across the table from him.

"Don't bother trying to come up with an excuse." Maxie sighed. "It's fine, really. I just…I don't know. It made me mad."

"And you have every right to be mad." He told her before he took a drink of the water in front of him. "It shouldn't have happened."

"Maybe not, but it did, Jason. And it wasn't one of those things you can just push aside and forget about. I mean, Diane walked in and saw it so she knows. Who knows if she'll ever pull that tidbit of information out and use it against either of us." Maxie pointed out, a little concerned still. Janie was the only other person who knew, but Maxie was sure she wouldn't tell anyone.

Jason took another drink. "It's none of Diane's business."

"No, it's not. But that doesn't mean she'll never bring it up." She sighed and brushed her hair back a little. "I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens."

"Yeah, I guess so." He agreed and took a moment to look around the restaurant. There had been quick a turnout and from the looks on the majority of the faces, people seemed to be enjoying themselves. Jason looked across the table at Maxie and sighed softly.

Maxie looked up from the table and her eyes met Jason's. Their gazes held for a few moments before Maxie looked away and grabbed her water glass. She brought it up to her lips and took a drink, her lip gloss leaving a mark. She gently wiped it off with her thumb after she set it back down.

That simple gesture made Jason's jaw tighten. He couldn't get over how beautiful she was. Most people only saw the outer beauty, but Jason had witnessed some genuine inner beauty at times as well. Not many people would have stuck by Spinelli's side like she had or put so much effort into turning her life around. He'd had a front row seat to her transformation and he could honestly saw he was proud of her and impressed. She wasn't perfect, but she was trying and that was something to admire.

Maxie knew Jason was watching her and it made her slightly uncomfortable. "Can we order something to eat yet?" She asked, wanting to start the conversation again. She hated awkward situations and she wanted to try and avoid as many as possible that night.

He shrugged, not sure how the evening was planned out. "It doesn't really look like it." He spotted Carly and waved her over.

"Hey you two!" She greeted them with a smile. "I hope you're enjoying yourself."

"Yeah, this was a really good idea, Carly." Maxie complimented, putting on a smile. "I'm sure everyone is going to have a lot of fun tonight."

"I certainly hope so. Do you two need anything?" She asked, looking between the two of them.

"I think Maxie was looking for something to eat." Jason spoke up and Maxie nodded.

"The waiters should be out with appetizers shortly. Can I get you two some drinks in the meantime?"

Maxie was tempted to get some alcohol in her system but she decided against it and shook her head. Jason shook his head as well. She assumed he didn't want things to get out of hand either. Both of them knew getting drunk probably wouldn't help things.

"All right, well if you need anything, just wave me over. Have fun!" She smiled and headed off to check on some other tables.

"You have to hand it to Carly. She's a good hostess." Maxie commented before taking another sip of water. "I couldn't put something like this together."

Jason shrugged. "You could do a lot of things if you set your mind to it."

Maxie smiled a little. "You sound like Spinelli."

"He's rubbing off on me I guess." He laughed softly for a second before getting more serious. "Things are still bad between you two, aren't they?"

"Yep." She sighed and leaned back in the chair. "I'm pretty sure things will never get back to normal and that's something I just have to deal with."

"Spinelli is miserable." Jason commented.

Maxie nodded. "Yeah, I expected that I guess. I mean, I made a choice and I have to live with the consequences. I lost Spinelli most likely for good. He can't forgive me for sleeping with Johnny and I don't blame him."

"Would it happen again?" He asked, curious.

"Probably. I'm attracted to Johnny and he's not attached to Lulu anymore and I'm not attached to anyone. There'd be nothing stopping us from having sex again. And as bad as it sounds, I don't regret sleeping with Johnny. I know I hurt Spinelli and I hate that I did that, but Johnny and I just get each other. I can't explain it."

Jason nodded. He felt that way with Sam. There was a bond there that he didn't think would ever go away.

"I mean, I'm not proud that I hurt Spinelli. But he needs to understand that there's nothing romantic about our relationship and I don't think there ever will be. I love him so much, but I can't be his girlfriend. He deserves better." Maxie explained and sighed. She hated talking about Spinelli. It always made her upset. "Excuse me." She said softly and stood up quickly, grabbing her clutch off the table.

Just as she stood up and started to move away from the table, she collided with a waiter carrying a glass of wine. Everything seemed to go in slow-motion as the glass toppled out of his hand and the dark red liquid spilled on her dress. Maxie wanted to scream but nothing came out as she opened her mouth.

Jason quickly stood up as the waiter started to apologize for not watching where he was going. Maxie, her mouth still open wide in shock and horror, just stood there, not sure what to do. Gently, Jason reached over and took her by the arm, leading her away from the table.

"There should be some club soda in one of the rooms." He told her as he headed over to where Marty was situated with the room keys. Jason signed his name for one and led Maxie to the elevator.

"The dress…it's ruined!" Tears welled in her eyes and she started to shake a little. Kate was going to fire her for sure, she knew it. Her life as she knew it was over.

"It'll be okay." Jason assured her as the elevator doors opened and they stepped in. He pressed the button for the correct floor and waited as the doors closed and the elevator moved down a few floors.

Once the doors opened, Jason led her down the hall to the room and slid the key into the door. The small green light came on and he opened the door. Maxie quickly walked in and looked around the room. She found the compact fridge and opened it, relieved when she saw the club soda.

Jason wandered around the room a little as Maxie headed into the bathroom. She came out a minute later.

"I can't get my zipper undone. Will you?" She asked, her eyes a little puffy with tears.

He nodded and walked over to her, gently helping her with her zipper. His fingers brushed against her soft skin as he slowly slid it all the way down to just above her ass.

"Thank you." She whispered and turned around slightly to look at him before going back into the bathroom to work on the stain.

Jason took a deep breath and walked over to the bed to sit down for a moment. He ran his hands over his face and thought about the situation he'd gotten himself into now. He was alone in a hotel room with Maxie Jones.


	11. Chapter 11

As always, thank you for the reviews! I do appreciate them and I love to read them.

Meghan made a sequel to the video I posted last chapter...so if you'd like to see it (which I highly recommend considering she did some great manips of them kissing!!!), search YouTube for "Come Back to Me Jason and Maxie" and it's the one by Poriavida07.

Anyway, onto the next chapter...some of you might be disappointed about what happens, or what doesn't happen I should say. But it does end good if I do say so myself. :) Enjoy and review...please.

Chapter 11

The dress was a lost cause. No matter how hard she scrubbed and rinsed, the stain remained, practically taunting her. Maxie sighed and dried her hands before wiping her eyes a little. She felt stupid for crying, but it seemed like everything was bubbling to the surface that night and she couldn't control it.

Still wearing her stilettos, Maxie turned to grab one of the plush robes hanging on the back of the bathroom door. Her heel got caught on the rug and she let out a cry of pain.

Jason was looking out the window loosening his tie when he heard Maxie cry out. He quickly moved towards the bathroom.

"Are you okay?" He asked, his hand resting on the door knob.

"I think I twisted my ankle. It hurts." She told him, pulling the robe on the best she could as she lowered herself down to the floor.

Jason opened the door and walked inside. "Let's get you out to the couch. You can put some ice on it." He was tempted to make a comment about her shoes, but he knew it probably wouldn't have gone over well. She was already upset and he didn't want to make it any worse than it already was.

He reached down slightly and helped her up. She leaned on him and wrapped the oversized robe around her petite body. With his help, she hobbled out to the couch and sat down. Jason lifted both her feet up onto the couch and propped them up with a couple pillows.

Maxie grimaced in pain and closed her eyes.

"I'll go get some ice." Jason said as he grabbed the ice bucket and plastic bag from the bar area.

"Okay." Maxie said softly, her eyes still closed.

It only took Jason a few minutes before he was back in the room. He grabbed a hand towel from the bathroom before he sat down at the end of the couch near Maxie's feet. Gently, he rested the bag of ice on Maxie's swollen ankle before slowly and carefully taking off her shoes.

She had small, pretty feet. Her toes were neatly manicured, something that didn't surprise him. Maxie Jones was perfect from head to toe.

"How bad does it hurt?" He asked as he absent-mindedly rubbed her feet lightly.

Maxie shrugged a little and opened her eyes. "It hurts pretty badly. I'm sorry…" She said softly and ran her hands over her face.

"Why are you sorry?" Jason moved away slightly and sat back against the couch.

"I just made this night even worse for both of us."

He shook his head. "It's fine. I didn't have other plans."

"Neither did I but that doesn't mean this is how either of us wanted to spend the night." She sighed and laid back a little more, getting herself comfortable. "You don't have to stay with me, Jason."

"I don't want to leave you here alone, especially with a hurt ankle." He replied.

Maxie smiled a little. "That's sweet, but you don't owe me anything. I'm the one that owes you."

Jason laid his head back and sighed. "I thought we already went over this. You don't owe me anything."

"You saved my life." She reminded him in a whisper.

"I'm kind of regretting it." He teased her with a smirk.

Maxie laughed softly and kicked him gently with her good foot. "That's not very nice."

"I'm not a very nice person." He countered.

"That's not true. It's what you want people to believe, but it's far from the truth. Sure, your lifestyle isn't the greatest, but that doesn't mean that you don't have a good heart." She told him. "You took Spinelli in, you're an amazing friend to Carly…you saved my life…"

"Can we just forget all about that?" Jason didn't want to be seen as her hero. Although, deep down he liked the idea of her counting on him and looking to him as someone she knew would always be there. But that wasn't the reality.

"I can't just forget that you rescued me from a burning building, Jason. I will never forget that. I owe you my life and if you have a problem with that, oh well." She pulled the robe around her more and crossed her arms as she looked over at Jason. "I know you don't want anything from me and that's fine. But if you do ever need anything…I owe you. I owe you so much."

"No, Maxie. You don't." He assured her.

She sighed. "Why do you have to be so difficult? I bet if I told Mac that it was you who got me out of General Hospital he would go easier on you. He'd be grateful and your life would be a lot simpler."

"I need you to stay out of all of that, okay? It's not a good idea for anyone else to get involved in my problems. There's already more than enough innocent people getting caught up in them. I don't want you to be another one." He said quietly. "You have a good life ahead of you. Don't ruin that."

"I highly doubt I'll even have a job after tonight. My expensive one of a kind dress is completely ruined. Kate will be furious and probably fire me the minute she finds out. She won't care that I put my whole life into that magazine."

"You're dedicated to the magazine, I'm sure Kate sees that. I doubt she'd fire you over a dress."

"You don't get it, Jason. It's not just a dress. It's a one of a kind original. It's not like you can just go buy another one. It doesn't work like that." She sighed and moved her ankle. Maxie grimaced in pain again.

Jason helped her get comfortable again and resituated the ice pack. "Does the ankle feel any better?" He asked, wanting to check up and change the subject.

She shrugged. "A little I guess. I wasn't really thinking about it."

"That's usually the key."

"Yeah…out of sight, out of mind. Something like that."

Jason nodded and spread the bottom of the robe over her feet. He noticed the tattoo on her other ankle and studied it for a moment before her voice brought him back to reality.

"So, you're back together with Sam, right? You mentioned that the other day." That topic wasn't one that Maxie particularly wanted to talk about, but she didn't know what else to bring up.

He looked across the room for a moment. "It's not that simple."

"Why not? Because you kissed me?" She asked softly, letting her mind go back to that unforgettable moment.

"Yeah, that made things a hell of a lot more complicated." He nodded. "Sam and I are…friends."

"I see." Friends could mean a variety of things. Maxie decided not to get into the issue any further. She didn't want to get upset over the fact that Jason might be involved with someone, not that it would matter anyway. They didn't have a future together and that was the reality Maxie knew she had to face.

Jason looked over at Maxie for a moment and studied her face. He couldn't tell if she was angry or upset or okay with the whole situation. "I'm sorry." He said after a moment.

Maxie lifted her eyes and looked at him. "Why would you be sorry? You have every right to be with whoever you want to be with. It has nothing to do with me whatsoever, right?"

"Right." He agreed with a nod. Even though it was the truth, Jason had a hard time accepting it. He was torn and he didn't know what to do.

Getting a little tired and frustrated, Maxie closed her eyes once more. Jason watched her breathing slow down and couldn't help but smile slightly. He couldn't get over how breathtakingly beautiful the woman before him was. There hadn't been many times in his life when he couldn't breathe upon seeing a gorgeous woman. But lately, it seemed to be happening all too often.

He stood up from the couch and gently lifted Maxie up in his arms. She opened her eyes slowly and looked up at Jason's face as he carried her over to the bed and laid her down. He pulled a blanket up over her, being careful of her ankle. Maxie smiled at the gesture.

"Thank you." She whispered, her hand reaching out for Jason's.

He took her hand gently and sat down on the edge of the bed. "What are we doing?" He asked, his voice quiet, his eyes filled with confusion.

With her free hand, Maxie grasped his tie and slowly pulled his face closer to hers. "Kiss me." She pleaded in a whisper as she looked into his pale blue eyes.

Jason didn't need any more coaxing. He leaned down the rest of the way, his lips lightly brushing against hers at first. The kiss intensified quickly and Maxie opened her mouth to him, allowing his eager tongue entry.

A soft whimper escaped Maxie's lips when Jason pulled away after a moment. She gently touched his cheek and he returned the gesture. They looked into each other's eyes for a second before Jason pressed his lips to Maxie's forehead.

"Goodnight." He whispered, pulling away.

Maxie kept hold of his hand for a minute longer. "Thank you." She whispered yet again and smiled a little.

Jason returned the smile and gave her one last kiss on the forehead before getting off the bed.

Content, Maxie rolled onto her side and closed her eyes.

Jason hung around, wanting to wait until he knew she was asleep to leave. He sat down on the couch again and turned so he could watch her.

---------------

_He held Maxie's hand gently as he sat with her. There hadn't been much change in her condition in the few days since she'd been admitted, but Jason was holding out hope. _

"_Oh, you're still here." A soft voice startled him and Jason looked over at the nurse who had walked in. "I thought you would have gone home by now. You've been here for a few hours, haven't you?" She asked as she started to update Maxie's chart._

_Jason nodded. "Yeah, I just don't want her to be alone." He explained softly and gently ran his thumb over Maxie's knuckles. Her hand fit so perfectly in his, he noticed._

"_She's very lucky to have someone like you." The nurse commented with a smile. She had suspected Jason wasn't really her boyfriend, but he seemed to be proving her wrong with each passing day. _

_He looked at Maxie's face and sighed softly. He wanted more than anything for her to wake up._

"_Her father should be here soon." She said after she'd finished up the chart. _

_Jason nodded. The nurse always gave him a head's up when Maxie was going to have another visitor. She understood that it was a unique situation and Jason was very grateful to her for that. "Okay, thank you." He replied softly and leaned in to kiss Maxie on the forehead gently._

_The nurse watched and smiled. After a moment, Jason excused himself and the nurse moved closer to Maxie's side. _

"_You are one very lucky girl, Miss Jones. That man has it bad for you. You better wake up soon so he can finally get some decent rest." She laughed softly and pulled the young woman's blanket up for her. "I'll be back to check on you later, honey. Sleep tight."_

_Jason watched from outside the room and sighed to himself. He felt all he did was sigh lately. There were so many emotions running through him and he couldn't manage to express them. He didn't know how to deal with them…how to be honest with himself. Jason knew he shouldn't have put himself in the situation. He shouldn't have made a commitment to himself to sit by her side and hold her hand. That had only made it worse._

_But he couldn't pull himself away. He needed to be there. He needed to convince himself that she was going to be okay._


	12. Chapter 12

I'm kind of in a rut with this story at the moment, but I think I've figured out what I'm going to do. You all might end up not liking me for a little while haha...but it will all come together in the end, I promise. Just hang in there.

Chapter 12

Maxie woke up alone the next morning, smiling to herself. She hadn't expected Jason to stay, but part of her hoped he would have, especially after the kiss they'd shared.

She knew she probably shouldn't make a big deal out of it. As far as she knew, it was just another mistake on Jason's part. Sighing, Maxie sat up and stretched her ankle a little. It was sore but it felt much better than the night before. She had Jason to thank for that.

Getting out of bed, she headed into the bathroom and put her dress on from the night before. The stain was still there but she tried to ignore it. There was nothing she could do about it now and she would just have to live with the consequences, whatever they may be.

After she had the dress on, she cleaned up the room a little before putting on her shoes. It hurt to walk but she couldn't go around barefoot.

Maxie took one last look around the room and smiled. It felt like the night before had all been a dream. Things had changed between her and Jason and she was nervous and excited about what was ahead. Not that there was a definite future for them anyway. She knew there was a very small chance that anything would work, but there was no harm in trying, was there? It wouldn't hurt anything to have a little fun.

Grabbing her purse and the room key, Maxie headed down to the front desk to check out. The room had already been taken care of and she was grateful that there weren't any questions asked.

On the way home, Maxie got a call from Robin. Apparently she couldn't find someone to watch Emma for a few hours and she needed a sitter. Maxie agreed immediately, wanting to spend some time with her little cousin. She had never been that much of a baby person, but Emma was adorable and she couldn't say no.

Maxie showered and changed her clothes before heading over to Patrick and Robin's house. Robin answered the door and they shared a hug and a quick conversation before Robin practically ran out of the house. Maxie was aware of the issues Robin had been facing and she felt horrible. Everyone was suffering and it was hard to watch, but there wasn't much she could do.

Over the baby monitor, Maxie heard Emma start to fuss a little. She headed into the nursery and picked the darling little girl up and cradled her in her arms.

"Hey little cutie!" Maxie smiled, carrying Emma out into the living room. Emma perked right up, giving Maxie that extra boost of confidence she needed. If only she could do that for Robin as well. "How are us two gorgeous girls going to spend our day, huh?" She asked the baby as she sat down on the couch.

Emma cooed and smiled at her. Maxie grabbed one of Emma's stuffed animals, a pink bunny, and handed it to her, letting her play with it.

It was a welcome change for Maxie to spend time with Emma. Everything seemed simpler and more meaningful somehow. She wasn't worried about work or Spinelli or even Jason. It was just her and an adorable baby who she had grown to love. Maxie never understood that love at first sight thing until she'd laid her eyes on Emma. There was just something about an innocent child.

There was a knock on the door after a few moments.

"Coming!" Maxie called out and headed over to the door, Emma in her arms. She opened the door and was shocked to find Jason on the other side. "What are you doing here?" She asked as Emma dropped her stuffed animal.

Emma started to fuss and Jason bent down to pick up the bunny for her. He smiled as he handed it back to Emma.

"I wanted to see how Robin was holding up, but I'm guessing she's not here."

"No, she's not. She's working. Do you want to come in?" She asked, shifting Emma in her arms.

Jason nodded and walked inside, shutting the door behind him. "So you're babysitting today?"

"Yeah. Robin needed someone to watch her and I couldn't say no." She grinned at Emma and touched the tip of her tiny pink nose. "We're having a good time, aren't we Emma?"

"Looks like it." Jason smiled. He'd never seen Maxie with a baby or any child for that matter. It was a different side to her, a side he liked.

Maxie went back over to the couch and sat down. Jason joined her, keeping some distance between himself and Maxie.

"Do you want to hold her?" She asked.

"Uh, sure." He nodded and took Emma from Maxie gently. Once in his arms, she cuddled right up to him.

"She likes you." Maxie commented, smiling. "Must be your strong arms. Girls are suckers for that kind of thing."

Jason smirked a little as Emma grabbed onto his finger. It had been awhile since he'd held a baby and he didn't realize how much he'd missed it.

Maxie watched the two of them together. She'd always heard about how great Jason was with kids, but she'd never seen it firsthand. Part of her didn't believe it until then. Jason was this unemotional, shut off man, yet he had an amazing heart that was full of compassion and love.

"You're really good with her." She said softly, laying her head back against the couch. She pulled her legs up onto the couch but winced a little when she applied some pressure on her ankle.

"How's your ankle today?" He asked, looking over at her.

"It's better, thanks. You really helped last night."

"I didn't do much." Jason replied, running his hand over Emma's hair gently.

Maxie sighed and rolled her eyes slightly. "You never want to give yourself credit, do you? Why can't you just accept that you helped me and made me feel better? It's not like it was a bad thing…unless you're going to say the kiss was yet another mistake."

Jason focused on Emma after that comment, not sure how to respond.

"If you think it was, I really don't want to hear it. You're not so great for my ego lately." She laughed awkwardly and got up from the couch. "I'm going to get some water. Do you want anything?"

He shook his head before Maxie headed into the kitchen. She stayed in there for a few minutes before she came back out. When she did, she saw Jason laying Emma down in her playpen.

"She's asleep." He said quietly, gently touching Emma's cheek.

"You must have the magic touch." She commented, thinking about the night before. Maxie walked over to the playpen and stood beside Jason, looking down at Emma sleeping peacefully. She didn't have a care in the world and Maxie was envious of that.

"I'm sorry if I'm sending you mixed messages, Maxie." Jason said after a moment.

"You are sending me mixed messages and I don't really know which ones are right. You kiss me then you tell me it was a mistake…then last night…what was last night?" She asked, turning to face him.

"Probably a mistake." He said softly. "But I don't want it to be."

"What does that even mean, Jason?" Maxie was getting frustrated with the push and pull he was doing. Sometimes Jason Morgan was a complete coward.

He shrugged slightly. "I guess it means I don't really know what I want. Kissing you makes me feel something I haven't felt in a long time. It feels good." He admitted honestly.

"Then maybe you should kiss me again." She suggested, smiling ever so slightly as she tilted her head up a little.

Jason couldn't help but smile in return. He needed to let loose for once in his life and Maxie was the perfect person to help him with that.

Maxie closed the gap between the two of them, her hands grasping his worn leather jacket. She stood on her tiptoes as Jason's lips slowly pressed against hers. He wrapped his strong arms around her petite body, holding her against him as the kiss deepened.

She moaned softly against his mouth, her body aching for more. His tongue gently eased its way into her mouth, parting her lips. She tasted so sweet. It was the same taste as the night before…her lip gloss. He couldn't get enough.

Before long, Jason forced himself to pull back, knowing it was a bad idea to let things get any further.

Jason stepped away and Maxie braced herself against the playpen as she tried to get her breathing back to normal. Her heart was beating so fast.

"I should go." Jason whispered.

Maxie nodded and touched her lips gently. "Yeah." She whispered back.

Jason said a soft goodbye to Emma before quickly leaving the house.

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Patrick came home a few hours later to relieve Maxie of her babysitting duties. They talked for a little bit about Emma and Robin before Maxie left.

On the way home, she stopped for coffee before taking a short walk to the pier to get some fresh air. Just as she was about to head down the stairs, she spotted Jason with Sam. She quickly hid herself and spied on the two of them.

She wasn't able to make out what they were saying from where she was standing, but she wasn't willing to get any closer. They last thing she wanted or needed was to be caught spying. Jason certainly wouldn't have appreciated that.

They started to wrap up their conversation and Sam moved in closer. Maxie held her breath as she watched Sam go in for a kiss. Jason willingly kissed her back, his arms wrapping around her body.

Maxie's jaw dropped and she felt sick to her stomach. It had only been a few hours since her and Jason were in that same position. He'd touched her in the same way.

Not able to watch it anymore, Maxie turned around and walked off the pier, quickly heading back to her car. Tears had welled in her eyes and she didn't bother wiping them away. She was an idiot.


	13. Chapter 13

The reviews were so passionate this time! There seems to be a lot of hatred for Sam out there...but don't worry. It will all work out in the end, I promise.

I would love to update more, but I don't have that many future chapters written yet and I don't want to end up behind. My schedule is rough this term and I don't have a lot of time to devote to my story sadly. I'll try and work on it as much as I can so there isn't such a long wait.

I hope you're all still sticking with me...thanks to the new people who have reviewed, I really appreciate it. And of course, a BIG thank you to all my regular reviewers, you know who you are. You guys are the best!

Enjoy! This is for those of you who expressed your love for Johnny & Maxie. :)

Chapter 13

Maxie couldn't sleep. The image of Jason and Sam was practically burned into her retinas and it wouldn't go away. As she laid awake, she mentally kicked herself for being so stupid. There was no chance of any relationship for her and Jason and she felt completely ridiculous for even letting herself believe there could have been.

It was still relatively early in the night and Maxie had had enough. She desperately needed a distraction.

Flinging back the covers, she got out of bed and quickly changed into a short dress and leggings. She dug through her shoes until she found the perfect pair and slipped them on before pulling her hair up in a loose yet still stylish pony.

After checking herself over in the mirror, she grabbed a jacket and her purse and headed out the door.

----------------

Jason sat at his desk and stared at nothing in particular. He was leading two women on and he didn't know what to do about it. In some ways, Maxie and Sam were very much alike. They both had spunk and could hold their own in any situation yet they had a vulnerable side that not many got to see.

He turned his head and looked over at the half-empty bottle of beer on the desk beside him and sighed heavily.

"Why did I do this to myself?" He asked out loud and pressed his face into his hands.

"Is something troubling Stone Cold tonight?"

Spinelli's voice startled Jason and he slid the chair back and stood up.

"Uh, no." He stammered, turning around. "Just tired I guess."

"Are you sure? The Jackal would be happy to help." Spinelli offered, hoping he could. He cared deeply for Jason but most of the time, he felt rather useless when it came to personal matters.

"It's fine." Jason stopped him from saying any more. "It's fine." He repeated again, not sure what to say. There was no way he could tell Spinelli what was going on, especially considering his past relationship with Maxie. They were still on shaky ground and adding more fuel to the fire wouldn't help.

Spinelli's shoulders dropped in defeat. "All right, if you insist." He accepted and moved over to the couch.

Jason downed the rest of the beer before turning to Spinelli. "I'm going to head out for a little bit." He said after a few moments and headed over to the closet to grab his jacket.

Before Spinelli could even get a word out, Jason was gone.

----------------

Maxie walked into Jake's and coughed a little.

"Hasn't that smoking ban taken effect yet?" She asked to no one in particular as she wandered over to an empty table. Maxie wiped off the table slightly before setting her purse down.

"What brings you here?" A familiar voice asked.

Maxie turned around, a smile forming on her face. She hadn't seen Johnny lately and part of her was really happy to. "I needed a distraction." She told him, tilting her head to the side. "What brings you here?"

Johnny took a drink of the beer in his hand before giving her a nod. "Same thing."

She reached over and took the beer from him, taking a long swig. After she swallowed, she handed the bottle back to him with a grin.

He returned the smile and sat down with her at the table. "How have you been?" He asked, waving Coleman over for another round.

"I've been better." She sighed and shrugged. "Nothing that eventful has happened since the fire, you know? I mean, there's been no drama between you and Lulu now that that's over, thank God."

Johnny laughed softly and ran his hand over his face. "Yeah…thanks."

"You should be thanking me. I saved you from a long, long life from hell. Honestly, Johnny. Did you see any future with her?" Maxie asked and leaned forward, resting her forearms on the table.

"Let's not talk about Lulu and I okay? We're over for good and I'm so ready to move on."

"Good." She said simply and smiled at Coleman when he brought over a beer for her. "Thank you, Coleman."

"No problem, Darlin'. Let me know if you need anything else." He gave her a wink before heading back towards the bar.

Maxie took a deep breath and looked around a little as she took a drink.

"Something bothering you?" Johnny asked, watching her.

She shrugged. "No, not really. It's just kind of nice to be out somewhere for a change. I was cooped up in that hospital room for however long and since then I've been busy. It seems like I have no time to just do nothing, you know?"

"Did you like the flowers?" He asked, smiling a little.

Maxie's expression turned into one of surprise and confusion. "Those were from you?"

"Uh, yeah. I thought you knew that."

She shook her head and looked down at the table for a moment. She had assumed they were from Jason pretty much since the beginning.

"No, I didn't know that. There wasn't a card or anything." She explained before taking a drink of her beer.

"I sent a little card with them. One of those 'Get Well Soon' type of things."

Maxie thought for a moment, not sure what to think about the whole situation. She had wanted them to be from Jason, not Johnny. That realization didn't sit well with her.

"Well, did you like them?" He asked again after a moment, not sure how to react to her reaction.

"Oh, yeah. They were beautiful." She nodded and forced a smile. "You didn't have to do that though, Johnny. I never would have expected anything."

He nodded. "I know, but I wanted to." Slowly, his hand reached across the table and covered Maxie's.

She smiled a little and turned her hand over to hold his. "Thank you for thinking of me."

"It's hard not to sometimes."

Maxie bit her lip and looked at him through hooded eyes. "I know exactly what you mean." She whispered softly.

----------------

A short motorcycle ride led Jason to Jake's. He hadn't frequented it lately because of everything else going on, but he had to admit that he missed it…just a little.

He walked inside and was greeted by a few scantily clad women just inside the door. Ignoring their comments, he headed up to the bar. A blonde caught his eye along the way. Maxie…with Johnny.

She'd noticed him too and slowly lifted her gaze to meet his. She sent him a look he couldn't decipher before purposely turning her full attention back to Johnny.

"Anyway…" She said loudly, "Now that we're both…available…I think we should make the most of it, don't you?"

He could hear her as he sat down at the bar and his jaw tightened as he ordered a glass of scotch from Coleman. Trying to ignore their conversation, he focused on his drink.

Jason heard laughter behind him and after a few minutes, he slowly looked over his shoulder to see what the commotion was all about. They were dancing. He couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy as he watched them, but he knew he had no right. He would just be a hypocrite if he allowed himself to feel anything like jealousy towards Johnny Zacchara of all people.

---------------------

Maxie knew Jason was watching. It served him right, she thought. If he was going to go around making out with two women, she was going to make him jealous. She had every right.

The song changed to a slower tune and Johnny pulled Maxie closer into his arms. She loosely wrapped her arms around his neck and smiled as they moved together. Being with Johnny wasn't exactly a hardship afterall. He was hot and sweet yet he had a violent strike to him that she was attracted to. He reminded her of someone else…

She listened to the words of the song and sighed to herself. It was kind of a sad song and it wasn't doing much to help her mood. Reluctantly she pulled away and forced a smile.

"I should probably get back. It's getting late and I have to work tomorrow." She explained as she straightened his shirt collar. "We should do this again sometime, okay?"

He nodded and pulled her in for a hug. Maxie returned the hug and kissed his cheek quickly before moving back to the table to grab her purse. She noticed Jason was gone from the bar already and she frowned. Her emotions were really starting to confuse her.

She gave Johnny another smile and a small wave before heading out the door.

Outside, she spotted Jason sitting on his motorcycle. He was waiting for her.

She took a deep breath before sauntering over slowly. She stood a few feet away from him and crossed her arms. "I can't do this, so just stop. Okay?" Maxie said quietly and looked around to make sure there wasn't an audience. "We kissed and it was good, but that's as far as it goes."

It was getting to be too difficult to handle. She had feelings she couldn't explain and they scared her to death. Even though only some harmless kissing had occurred, Jason Morgan already had a strong hold on her heart.

He nodded slowly, knowing ending things was for the best. She was taking the high road and he was glad she was, or at least that's what he thought. It would make things easier in the long run for everyone.

Maxie took a few steps forward, unable to stop herself. Jason reached out and gently grasped her slim hips, pulling her towards him. Just one last moment, that was all they needed.

They locked eyes, their faces lit from the light overhead. Jason closed the small gap between them and lightly brushed his lips across Maxie's. She closed her eyes, savoring the short moment before she pushed against his chest and reluctantly stepped away.

She had to move on.

He had to move on.

Quickly, she turned and headed off in the opposite direction towards her car. No tears fell, but she could feel her heart breaking with each step. If only things could have been simpler…if only Jason Morgan hadn't made her fall in love.

Love, she thought, was making her pathetic. And it had taken her by surprise.


	14. Chapter 14

I totally changed the course of the story again, but I think you guys will like it. I feel kind of stuck at the moment so this story might end soon. I have an idea for a new story that I'm excited about and I'd love to get started on that. I want to finish up this one first though, so I'll try and figure something good out to wrap up the story. It probably won't be for a few more chapters though so don't worry.

I'm glad you guys liked the Johnny and Maxie stuff. There probably won't be any more of them...but we'll see. This chapter deals with Maxie's feelings about the whole situation and she learns some new things...

Enjoy and review!

Chapter 14

Maxie kept herself busy the next day, not wanting her mind to wander to Jason or what had happened the night before. She had to move on from him. There was no point in her pining over him when it was clear he was with Sam.

But he'd kissed her.

Groaning to herself, she heard the elevator ding behind her as she sat at her desk.

"Kate's busy." She called out, not bothering to turn around. There was work to be done and she didn't have time to bother with whoever had shown up.

"I came to see you."

Maxie took a deep breath and swiveled around in her chair. It was Sam. She quickly put on a smile and stood up to go hug her. They were friends after all, or at least she wanted it to seem that way. Obviously Sam had no clue about what had gone on between Maxie and Jason and Maxie wanted to use that to her advantage.

"I'm glad you're here. We haven't had a chance to talk for a while."

"No we haven't. I could really use a friend right now though. There's been some…developments with Jason and I. I'm moving back in with him." She said, smiling a little.

Maxie took a small step back. "You're what? Really? I thought that ship had sailed." She tried to remain as true to herself as she could despite her true feelings on the situation. "But then again everyone knows you and Jason are perfect for each other." She laughed softly and smiled. "I guess it was only a matter of time before the two of you got back together again."

Sam shrugged and pulled a chair over near Maxie's desk so the two could sit down. "I think we're both in a good place right now with each other and it might actually work this time, you know?"

"I think that's really great, Sam." Maxie lied as she sat down and crossed her legs. "I mean, Jason made you happy, didn't he? And I certainly see the appeal there. He's hot."

"That's very true." She laughed a little before sighing. "I just don't know if he's ready to put himself out there for me again. He's been through a lot since we split up. I hurt him pretty badly."

"Jason is one of those guys that can get over that I think. I mean, look at him and Carly. He stands by that woman through thick and thin and God knows she's done some unspeakable things. Sure you made some mistakes, but Jason loves you. Anyone can see that, even now." Maxie assured her. She hated to admit it, but Jason did still have strong feelings for Sam. He was willing to help her and he always made sure she was okay, even during the worst of times for the two of them.

"Thank you for saying that, Maxie. I really needed some reassurance." She reached over and squeezed Maxie's hand. "So…how's your love life these days?"

Maxie grimaced a little. "It's pretty much nonexistent, but it's okay. I think it's good for me to take some time for myself, you know? It's kind of lonely now that Spinelli and I aren't friends, but I'm hanging in there."

"I'm sorry." Sam replied genuinely. "If you ever need to talk, I'm here, okay?"

Nodding, Maxie forced a smile. "Thanks. I should probably get back to work." She said when the phone started ringing.

They said their goodbyes quickly before Maxie turned and answered the phone. Sam let herself out.

Maxie spent a few minutes on the phone arguing with Clarice before Kate let her go for the day. She was due for a check-up at the hospital to make sure everything was okay after the fire.

She grabbed all her things and headed to Mercy, trying her best to forget what Sam had told her.

----------------

Once at the hospital, Maxie checked in at the front desk before sitting down to wait. She crossed her legs and clutched her purse as she closed her eyes for a moment.

Jason had asked Sam to move back in with him, which meant everything that happened between her and Jason had meant absolutely nothing to him. He'd kissed her, touched her…and all the while was practically committed to Sam. He'd used her, just like all the others.

A single tear fell down her cheek and she quickly wiped it away as she opened her eyes. For once in her life, she thought things were going to be different. She wanted to be hopeful about the situation and finally be able to be happy with someone.

So much had changed since she'd met Spinelli. She had changed into a better person, or at least she liked to believe that. She'd told herself countless times that she deserved happiness and she deserved to have the life she'd always dreamed of. Spinelli made her see that she could have those things and now she felt they were unobtainable.

The one man she'd genuinely fallen for since she'd shut off her heart didn't want anything to do with her.

Another tear fell before she heard her name being called. Quickly she pulled herself together and stood up to follow the nurse.

The nurse led her to an exam room and they got started with the routine check-up.

About forty-five minutes later, Maxie came out of the room and signed the necessary paperwork before deciding to head into the main part of the hospital. She desperately needed to talk to someone and she could only think of one person.

She had Janie paged and the older woman showed up just a few minutes later.

"Maxie!" She smiled and walked over to give her former patient a hug.

Maxie returned her hug and smiled too. She felt better already.

"Do you have some spare time? I was hoping we could talk."

"Of course. You came at just the right time, my shift just ended. Let me go grab my things and we can get some coffee."

Janie headed off to the locker room and Maxie waited for her. When she came back again, they headed across the street to the small coffee shop. They both ordered drinks before sitting down at a secluded corner table.

"More problems with Jason I'm assuming." Janie said as she cautiously sipped her coffee.

Maxie nodded and sighed. "Yeah. I thought things were going really well and now…" She took a deep breath, desperately wanting to stop any tears from falling. "I think I'm in love with him." Maxie admitted in a whisper. "But he got back together with his old girlfriend."

Janie took a moment to process that. "Oh, honey." She reached across the table and squeezed Maxie's hand gently. "Start from the beginning, okay?"

"Okay. Well, we both went to this event at the Metro Court and we got paired up together. It was like this match-up date type of thing. Anyway, there was some wine spilled on my dress so we headed to a room so I could try and get the stain out. I ended up twisting my ankle and Jason took care of me and tucked me into bed. We kissed…" Maxie smiled a little thinking about it. "Then the next day I babysat for my little cousin Emma and Jason showed up. There was another kiss…"

Janie smiled as she listened. "Go on…"

"After that kiss, I really thought that Jason and I were in a good place, you know? I was confident that he saw something in me…in us. Then I ran into him and Sam on the pier, kissing. I felt so stupid and angry, but more so at myself than him. Anyway, I wanted a distraction that night so I headed out to the bar where I ran into a friend of mine." She explained, her hands wrapped around her coffee cup. "We talked and had something to drink and then Jason showed up. I danced with Johnny to try and make Jason jealous, but it really only made me sad. So I said goodbye to Johnny and I saw that Jason had left. I headed outside and he was waiting for me. He was sitting on his motorcycle and he looked so gorgeous you have no idea." Maxie laughed softly and shook her head.

"I can imagine." The older woman smiled.

"I told him that I was done, that I couldn't do it anymore. I didn't want to play some game with him. I guess he agreed it was for the best and we kissed yet again, of course. Kind of a goodbye kiss, but it only made me want to kiss him more."

"That's usually how it works, isn't it?"

Maxie nodded. "I just wanted things to be simpler, but they're not. He obviously wants to be with Sam again and I don't know where that leaves me."

"And you think you love him?"

She nodded again slowly and sighed. "It sounds stupid, I know. How could I love him? We aren't together, we aren't even friends."

"The heart is a very funny thing. It wants what it wants…it loves who it loves. As much as you tell yourself it's wrong, you can't change it. If you believe you love Jason, you need to explore that, Maxie. If you don't, you'll end up regretting it."

"I'm just scared that he doesn't have any feelings for me."

Janie smiled and laughed softly. "Oh, honey. You have no clue…"

Maxie looked at her, completely confused. "What are you talking about?"

"That man was with you at the hospital from the very beginning."

"Jason was there?"

"Oh yes. He claimed he was your boyfriend and he sat by your side for hours on end. I thought it was so romantic. He held your hand; he kissed your forehead whenever he left the room. I watched him sit there and look at you many times. He didn't notice me, but I sure noticed him."

Maxie was a little shocked. She didn't know how to feel about that. It only made her more confused.

"If Jason sat with me for all those days, then why is he getting back together with Sam?"

"I think that's something you need to sit down and talk to him about." Janie suggested. "Jason was very committed to staying with you in the hospital. Maybe he's scared too. I promised I wouldn't say anything…but I think you needed to know." She smiled. "He does care. If he didn't, he wouldn't have been there for all that time. And he was so protective; I almost believed he was your boyfriend."

"I can't just believe it, you know?" She ran her hands over her face and sighed.

"Believe it." Janie smiled reassuringly. "Talk to him, be honest with him. That's all you can do."

Maxie nodded and managed a smile. "Thank you for telling me and helping me. You're really the only friend I have right now."

"Anytime, honey." She pulled out a pen and wrote down her cell number on a napkin. "Call anytime, okay? Keep me updated."

"I will." Maxie took the napkin and put it in her purse. "I guess I'm off to find Jason."

"Good luck."

Both women stood up and hugged before Maxie quickly left.

------------

Later that night, Maxie changed into a little sexier outfit. She'd made a couple calls and found out that Jason was checking out some shipments that had come in on one of his piers and decided that would be a good place for them to talk.

She parked her car in an alley and walked down to the warehouse. She spotted Jason outside, looking out at the water. Taking a deep breath, she started to head towards him.

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Jason heard footsteps approaching him and turned, his hand automatically going to his gun. Quickly he moved behind a stack of crates for cover. The movement continued and he watched the shadows. Unable to make out who it was, he assumed it was an enemy. Things had been heating up and he wasn't willing to take any chances. He fired…

And then she screamed.


	15. Chapter 15

Okay, this chapter is much shorter than the others and I had such a difficulty writing it for some reason. As I've said before, I'm kind of stuck and uninterested with this at the moment. I think I know how I'm going to end it, which will probably be around chapter 18 or so.

Thanks to everyone for sticking with me and reviewing! Hope you enjoy this chapter...

Chapter 15

Jason couldn't move. He'd heard the scream and his heart stopped.

"Maxie!" He called out, knowing it was her who had screamed. He tucked his gun back into the waistband of his pants and started running.

By the time he reached where Maxie had been, his heart was racing. She wasn't moving.

"Maxie…" He knelt beside her, his hands searching her body for blood or any sign of injury. He felt her shaking. "Oh God…I'm so sorry…I'm so sorry…"

"I can't believe you shot at me!" Maxie managed to yell before giving him a hard punch in the arm.

He breathed a sigh of relief and quickly pulled her into his arms, hugging her tightly against him.

She started to cry and held onto him, her body still shaking from the shock. It wasn't every day she was shot at and she wasn't too prepared to handle it.

"I'm so sorry…I didn't know it was you." He whispered and rubbed her back gently. "I could have killed you, Maxie. Don't ever sneak up on someone like that again."

Maxie slowly started to calm down a little as he held her.

"I hate you so much right now." She whispered and closed her eyes. "I was having a really bad day and this makes it so much worse. First works sucks and then Sam comes in and is all happy and in love…and you kissed her and you kissed me…and I hate you." She started to cry again and pushed away from him.

Jason let her go and sat down on the ground beside her. "I owe you an explanation."

"You think? Do you even know what you've put me through, Jason?" She sighed and wiped at her eyes as she sat back against a crate. "You kiss me one minute and then I see you kissing Sam. Then today she comes into Crimson and tells me she's moving in with you. How am I supposed to feel about that?"

Before Jason could respond, Maxie cut him off.

"I know I said I wanted whatever this is to be over, but that was a lie." Maxie whispered, lifting her gaze to meet his. "You stayed with me at the hospital. Why didn't you say anything?"

"It wasn't that big of a deal."

Maxie groaned and brought her knees up to her chest. "Will you stop?! For once in your life can you have some emotion about something?" With a huff, she got to her feet again. She was still shaky and had a difficult time moving away from him.

"I don't know why I even let myself get to this point. It's not worth it to waste my time." She said softly.

"You knew from the beginning, Maxie. There can't be anything between us." Jason stood as well and leaned against the crate behind him.

"You just don't want there to be anything. There could be something amazing between us, you don't know. You just assume that you'd hurt me or that I'm some immature little girl who can't handle your life. But you know what, Jason? You're the immature one." She spat at him and wiped at her eyes again.

She felt so ridiculous for crying, but she was at the point where everything was at the surface. She didn't want to hide her emotions like Jason did. The only way to solve things was to be honest.

Jason looked down at the ground, not sure what to say.

"And you used me. You're obviously together with Sam and don't even try to deny that. You downplayed your relationship, but the truth is out now. So…I hope you're happy with Sam." Maxie said honestly. "We're done and that's for the best. We don't need to see each other anymore and we probably won't, at least not in private settings. I guess this will make everyone happy, right?" Her tone turned more angry and hurt with the last sentence. "You'll have your life with Sam again, you'll have your friendship with Spinelli…" She let her voice trail off as more tears formed.

"Maxie…" Jason whispered, moving closer.

She held out her hand to keep him away, letting the tears stream freely down her face. "No. I don't want your pity. I just want you to be honest, Jason." Maxie lifted her head and looked at Jason.

He saw the hurt in her eyes and mentally kicked himself for bringing them both into the situation they were in. If it hadn't have been for the kiss in the interrogation room, he wouldn't have been struggling with what to do. He hated that he hurt her and led her on and whatever else he did along the way. It had never been his intention, but now it had gotten out of control.

"She wasn't supposed to tell you…" He started softly. "The nurse…I didn't want you to know."

"Why, Jason? Why did it have to be a secret? You sat with me for days and you held my hand and talked to me…why are you ashamed of that?" She asked him, gesturing with her hands before fisting them in her hair. "What is it about me that makes you want to ignore everything that happened?"

"It's not you, Maxie. It's me."

Maxie groaned and turned around. She grabbed her clutch from the ground before starting to walk away from him.

"Maybe that's not what you want to hear, but it's the truth. I can't explain why I do certain things or don't do things. I can't explain why I'm so attracted to you all of a sudden. I don't have an excuse for why I wasn't honest about Sam. But I can say that I don't want whatever this is…to end."

She took a deep breath before she turned around. She was surprised by his honesty and even though he didn't exactly give her the answers she wanted, he did say the one thing she'd wanted him. He still wanted her.

"I can't…I won't be the other woman again." Maxie informed him.

He nodded slowly.

"So you have to make a choice. I've learned my lesson and I don't want to get myself into another situation that will only hurt me in the end."

Jason nodded again. "I don't want to hurt you, but I might."

It was Maxie's turn to nod as she took a few steps closer. "I know, but that's the reality and I know that. I know that better than anyone, Jason. Just let me in…please." She pleaded softly, wondering to herself about how she got to this place. Maxie Jones wasn't one to fall for a guy so fast. But this time, something was different.

"I can't promise you anything, Maxie. I do like you…which was a surprise to me. I've tried to deny my feelings, but they're there. They're not going away, as hard as I try to get them to." He admitted and slid his hands into his pockets.

"So what are you saying, Jason? Are you choosing me?" Maxie was slightly afraid to ask. She wanted Jason all to herself, but she was scared he didn't want her. He could say anything, but his actions would be what proved it to her.

Jason took a moment to think. "Yeah…" He whispered softly. "I'm choosing you."

Maxie smiled, unable to stop herself. Sure, she'd been the one chosen over other girls in the past, but this time was different. This time, Maxie felt there was a real chance she could find something good and worthwhile.

Jason smiled too and closed the gap between the two of them. He gathered the petite young woman in his arms and held her close as his lips met hers. The kiss quickly escalated and Maxie dropped her clutch as Jason walked her backwards and pressed her back up against the wall of the warehouse.

She moaned, her body his for the taking. His hands roamed her body, eagerly wanting to feel every inch of her he could. He pulled her dress up slightly, his surprisingly soft fingers stroking her thigh gently. Maxie moaned again as his fingers inched higher and found the lace of her panties.

He wanted her then and there, but he didn't want their first time to be outside of the warehouse. She deserved better than that, but he couldn't resist having just a little taste….

-----------

Decided to cut it there....there will be some smut in the next chapter (!!!) for all of you who like that sort of thing. :) Please review!!


	16. Chapter 16

For some reason this chapter took me FOREVER to write and I apologize that it's a little late. As promised, this is the smut chapter. I don't know how great of a job I did...but it's smut nonetheless.

I want to say a special thank you to Alison for her support. It means a lot to me and it keeps me going...so thank you!

Thanks to all my first-time reviewers...I'm very pleased that you're liking this story. :)

Anyway, enjoy..and please review!

Chapter 16

His fingers slowly moved to the lace of her panties that he could feel were already moistened with her arousal. A smile crept across his lips as he pulled away slightly and moved his lips down to her neck. Maxie let out a low moan as he gently slipped his fingers inside her panties, touching her flesh.

"Jason…" She whispered, holding onto him tightly.

He slipped one finger into her waiting body before pulling away so he could look into her eyes as he pleasured her. The warehouse was dark, but the faint moonlight from overhead gave him just enough to see the lust in her eyes.

Maxie moaned once more as she gazed into his piercing blue eyes. It made the experience even more powerful to be able to see the lust and passion in his eyes as fingered her.

A second finger slipped into her and Maxie tightened her hold on Jason. The pleasure was building inside her body and she knew it wouldn't take long before she would be pushed over the edge.

"So beautiful…" Jason whispered and placed a soft kiss on her lips as his fingers worked her expertly.

Soon, Maxie couldn't take it any longer. "Oh, God…Jason…" She called out as her body clenched around his fingers. She clung to him as the waves of pleasure tore through her petite frame.

Jason kept her orgasm going for as long as he could before slowly removing his fingers and pulling her body close. Her legs were weak and she found it hard to stand on her own. She was thankful to have Jason there to lean on.

"Oh my God…" Maxie sighed contently as she rested against Jason's chest. "Take me home…"

Jason smiled and hugged her tightly for a moment before pulling away slowly, making she sure was fine to stand on her own.

He grabbed her purse for her before leading her back to her car. He'd ridden his motorcycle there but decided it would be better to take Maxie's car instead. She handed over the keys to Jason before the two got in the car and drove to the apartment.

They got there in record time, Maxie noticed. That made her smile a little. Jason was eager to get her someplace private where he could have his way with her. Any man in his right mind would be the exact same way.

Maxie unlocked the apartment door and walked inside, letting Jason lock it behind him. Once he had, she took his hand and led him quickly into her bedroom where she locked the door.

Jason pushed her back up against the door and she giggled softly before grabbing his face and pulling him in for a kiss.

The kiss quickly escalated and before she knew it, Maxie was flat on her back on the bed. Jason came on top of her, straddling her small body as he pulled off his jacket.

Maxie grinned up at him, anxiously waiting for him to get the rest of his clothes off. He pulled off his black t-shirt band tossed it onto the floor beside the bed. Still grinning, Maxie reached her hands up to touch him.

"I have dreamed about this for so long…" She commented, her fingers tracing over his hard tight stomach.

"I'm sorry about before…I couldn't wait to touch you." He explained, his voice soft as he looked down at her.

"No, no. Don't apologize to me for that. I enjoyed it, believe me." Maxie laughed a little. "It was…nice." Nice wasn't exactly the word to use, but she couldn't think of another one.

Jason smiled a little and leaned down to gently brush his lips across hers.

Maxie deepened the kiss quickly and brought her hands to the waistband of Jason's jeans. She easily unbuttoned his pants and unzipped them, feeling the bulge they concealed. A sly smile crept across her lips as she worked his pants and boxers down as far as she could reach.

Jason broke the kiss and moved off the bed to strip completely. Maxie watched him intently, smiling. Jason Morgan was one fine specimen. He was gorgeous from head to toe and came with quite an impressive package.

To help things along, Maxie sat up and unzipped her dress, letting it fall off her shoulders before she laid down and lifted her hips. Jason came back on the bed and helped her the rest of the way, his fingers trailing over her soft skin as he did.

A few long minutes passed before she was naked. Jason took his time kiss and touching her, leaving no patch of skin untouched. Maxie was surprised by how gentle and thorough he was. She had never expected Jason of all people to be a caring and giving lover, but he was.

The moment their bodies came together, Maxie almost started to cry. Never in her life had she felt so wanted and so desired. She looked up into Jason's eyes and saw his expression had changed from lust to something else…something she couldn't quite recognize.

He thrust into her firmly and deeply. It was rough, but he still managed to be gentle and Maxie couldn't explain how truly amazing it felt.

She was so used to rough, sometimes even violent sex depending on her partner. But this time with a mob enforcer of all people…was perfect.

As Jason grabbed her legs gently and thrust in further, Maxie let out a low moan. She was his for the taking and he knew it.

The pleasure built quickly inside her and Jason could feel her body slowly tightening around his. He groaned softly and gave her one more hard, quick thrust before her body gave into the orgasm.

She called out his name loudly, unable to hold it in as he body clenched around him. Maxie clung onto his body tightly and felt him climax as well. She felt the warmth inside her and smiled as she laid back, reeling from the pleasure he'd given her.

Jason pulled out of her and rolled onto him side, pulling Maxie's body against him. He smiled too and held her close as their breathing steadied. She closed her eyes and listened to his strong, rapid heartbeat.

"Oh my God…" Maxie managed to say, laughing softly and cuddled up to him. She sighed in content.

They laid like that for a few moments before Jason shifted. "I should go." He whispered, rubbing her back gently.

Although she didn't want him to go so soon, she nodded. "Yeah, okay." It was for the best anyway. Technically he was still with Sam and she really didn't want word getting out that she was once again the other woman. She had vowed to herself that those days were over.

"I want to stay…" Jason continued, but Maxie cut him off with a soft kiss.

"It's all right, I understand." She smiled a little and touched his cheek. "Thank you for tonight. When you almost shot me, I thought it wouldn't go great, but it did."

Jason laughed softly. "Sorry about that. I normally wouldn't have done something like that, but things have gotten heated lately. I didn't want to take any changes. But if I would have shot you…"

"You didn't. I'm okay…not a scratch on me." Maxie assured him. "I was a little surprised you missed though. At first I was sure I'd been shot even though I didn't feel anything. It's not like you to miss, Jason." She teased, giving him another kiss.

He laughed again and got out of bed, moving around to the other side to retrieve his clothes. Maxie sat up, holding the sheet up to cover her as she watched him get dressed. It was almost as sexy as watching him take off his clothes. Almost.

"Will I get to see you tomorrow?"

Jason nodded. "I just need to deal with some loose ends, okay?" He told her, referring to Sam, among other things.

"Okay. Just call me…maybe we could get something to eat." Maxie suggested.

"I'd like that." He smiled as he pulled on his jacket. He came back over to the bed and leaned down, kissing her. His lips lingered for a few moments before he pulled away. "Goodnight, Maxie."

"Goodnight, Jason." She whispered back and watched him walk out her bedroom door. With a grin on her face, she laid back down and squealed in delight.


	17. Chapter 17

Sorry for the delay everyone...I was busy and uninspired. This chapter is so-so, but it leads up to what's to come.

Enjoy..and that's to everyone for the fantastic reviews. :)

I'll try to get another chapter up for you guys hopefully tomorrow...if not, then by Monday for sure.

Chapter 17

Maxie woke up the next morning feeling a new sense of calm. The night before, Jason had made her feel beyond amazing and wanted and…loved.

She threw back the covers and sighed as she got out of bed. Jason did not love her, she was sure of that. It would be ridiculous for her to even consider that to be true. It was just wishful thinking on her part, but she had to admit that it was a nice thought.

Maxie pulled on her robe and came out of her room, heading for the bathroom to start her morning routine.

Lulu glanced at the clock as Maxie came out of her room. "Long night?" Maxie was usually always up before Lulu and liked to point that out on occasion. It was just another little fact she could use to prove she was more useful and productive than Lulu.

When she heard Lulu's voice, she sighed. The ways of the apartment were thin and she was pretty confident that Lulu had heard her and Jason last night. Maxie simply shrugged and continued into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her.

She took her time, not really wanting to talk to Lulu about anything, especially not her love life. Lulu and Maxie had never really been friends and after the little rendezvous with Johnny, they weren't exactly getting along.

Maxie finished in the bathroom and came out into the living room, deciding to get everything out into the open.

"Okay, so I had sex with Jason last night." She admitted as she sat down in the chair. "It was so amazing and I want it to happen again. I like him…a lot and we actually might have something real."

"That's…great." Lulu muttered as she flipped the pages of the magazine she was looking at.

"It is. I know you're not too happy with me right now and I'm sorry that you think I ruined things between you and Johnny. But the truth is, Lulu, you ruined it. Johnny and I didn't do much when you were together. Both of us pulled away before we did anything stupid. Then after the two of you broke, that's when we finally slept together." Maxie sighed and shook her head. "You and Johnny would have never worked out, Lulu. You know that but you choose to blame me for every damn thing. It's pathetic."

Lulu took a deep breath before she gently threw the magazine down on the table. "You know what, Maxie? You're right. I drove Johnny away and into your arms. But that doesn't mean you have the right to just sleep with him for the hell of it. I loved him! You're supposed to be my friend, Maxie."

"Don't kid yourself, Lulu. We're not friends and we never were. I'm so sick of this…sick of you. I'm trying to move on with my life and actually do something worthwhile."

"Oh, like Jason? That'll really get you places." Lulu shot back and rolled her eyes.

Maxie bit the inside of her lip for a moment, fighting back the urge to say something not so nice. Instead, she got up and headed into the kitchen to get something to eat. Lulu had no clue about her relationship with Jason. She didn't know that he was the one who saved her and sat by her bedside for hours on end.

For once in her post-Georgie life, she had found someone that made her feel like everything was going to be okay.

She had never planned for it to be Jason, of all people, but it was. Maxie couldn't explain that to Lulu; she would never understand. Jason and Maxie shared a bond ever since the fire. Even though she couldn't remember it, she still felt it in her heart. She knew Jason was who she wanted, even if she got hurt in the end.

Maxie managed to eat a small bowl of cereal even though she wasn't so hungry any more. She couldn't even count how many times she'd lost her appetite because of that ridiculous blonde. Groaning, she put her bowl in the sink and came out into the living room once again.

"You may not think that Jason and I have a chance, but you have no clue about what we've already gone through. He saved me and we get each other. Maybe you don't understand that, but it's real, Lulu."

Lulu looked up from the magazine she'd picked up again. "You love him, don't you?"

Maxie sighed and sat down, nodding slightly. "Yeah, I think I do. It scares me. He's with Sam…or at least he was. Even though we slept together…I don't know what that means, you know? I mean, he says that he wants me and he doesn't want her, but he's loved her before."

"I think you should just take it slow, Maxie. Don't rush into everything like you normally do. If you and Jason really have something, it'll still be there a week from now…a month from now."

The smaller blonde nodded and crossed her legs. "I don't think anyone really believes that Jason and I could have something meaningful, you know? I don't even know if I believe it."

"Jason is a good guy, deep down. I know that. He's helped me get through some things and I really appreciated it. If you two do have something, then I think you're both lucky."

Maxie smiled a little. "Thank you for saying that."

"Who knows, maybe the two of you are perfect for each other." Lulu shrugged. "It's worth finding out, right?"

Maxie nodded, agreeing. "Yeah, it is."

A knock on the door pulled them away from their moment of bonding. "Thank God," Maxie muttered as she stood up. "That was getting a little sickening." She laughed as she headed over to the door.

She opened it and was surprised to see Diane. "What are you doing here?" Maxie asked, letting the older woman come inside.

"Oh, cute place," Diane commented as she looked around a little. "Can we talk?"

"Uh, yeah. Is everything okay?" The tone of Diane's voice wasn't exactly reassuring.

She looked over at Lulu. "Maybe we should go in the other room." She suggested.

"I have some errands to run anyway." Lulu stood and headed towards the door, grabbing her purse along the way.

Once she left, Diane and Maxie sat down on the couch. "I'm guessing this has to do with Jason, right?" Maxie asked, concerned. "Is he okay?"

Diane sighed and clasped her hands together. "Some new evidence has come forward against Jason." She started. "It doesn't look good. I can't go into the details, but I thought you'd like to know."

"Is there anything I can do?"

"No, there isn't. You may need to just stay away from Jason for awhile. I don't know your exact situation, but it would be in your best interest to distance yourself for the time being."

Maxie sighed. That was the last thing she wanted.

Diane noted Maxie's reaction and sighed herself. "You slept with him, didn't you? Oh, poor girl."

She shrugged and smiled a little. "Last night…"

Thinking for a moment, Diane leaned forward. "I have an idea. Jason may need an alibi and you would be the perfect person. He hates getting them, but he could really use one from the police commissioner's daughter. A judge and jury would trust your word."

"I'm not exactly the most honest person." Maxie pointed out.

Diane waved her hand, dismissing that. "That doesn't matter."

"Okay, then I'd be happy to do it." At that point, Maxie was willing to do practically anything for Jason. "Just let me know what you need and I'll do it."

"Oh, Maxie. You have it bad, don't you?" Diane smiled and reached over to squeeze Maxie's hand. "I don't blame you. Jason is one hunk of a man."

"That he is…" Maxie sighed.


	18. Chapter 18

As promised, here's another update for you guys. I'm thinking there's probably 2, possibly 3 more chapters left of this story and then I'll get started on my new one which I'm very excited about.

Enjoy and please review!

Chapter 18

A few days had passed and Jason was back in custody. Maxie still didn't know what exactly they had against him, but she knew it had to have been bad. She'd met with Diane a couple times to get everything straight for when her alibi would be needed. Maxie was worried about what would happen, but she tried to remain confident that everything would turn out okay. It had to.

She had asked Diane if it would be possible for her to see Jason and Diane had agreed to work something out.

Maxie headed into the PCPD and sighed when she saw Mac was there. There would be no getting around him without some sort of confrontation. He didn't know about her relationship with Jason. The only people who really knew what was going on were Janie, Lulu and Diane.

Mac noticed his daughter and excused himself from the men he was talking to. Maxie took a deep breath, preparing herself. She decided she was going to be honest with him and see where that got her.

"Hey, Mac," Maxie smiled. "Busy today?"

He nodded. "Yes, we are."

"Because of Jason, right? His trial is coming up soon…"

"I've been meaning to talk to you about that, Maxie." He put his hand on her shoulder gently. "Let's go into my office. I don't want to do this here."

Maxie sighed and nodded, following him towards his office. He didn't speak again until the door was shut behind them.

"What the hell is going on, Maxie?!" He asked loudly as he leaned against his desk. "Why are you a witness for the defense?"

"Jason and I are together." She said simply.

"The hell you are! What are you thinking getting involved with Jason Morgan?" He sighed and ran his hands over his face. "You've done a lot of stupid things in your life but this…this has to be one of the most idiotic choices you've made, Maxie Jones."

She shrugged and watched as he got even angrier at her lack of concern. "I really like Jason, Mac. I know you couldn't possibly understand that, but I do. We get each other."

"Do you not realize how dangerous his life is? He's going to be on trial for murder, Maxie. Does that not matter to you?"

"Of course it matters to me, Mac. But I can see beyond his cold exterior and I know that deep down, Jason is not a murderer." Maxie sighed and shook her head. "You're never going to understand and that's okay. You don't have to support me and my decision to be with Jason. I want you to, but if you can't, I'm fine with that."

"I just wish you'd think about things before you get involved with someone, Maxie. He's on trial for murder!"

"You think I don't know that? I'm terrified that he's going to go to jail, Mac. We're just starting our relationship and I don't want to lose him." She said softly and took a deep breath. "I think I love him…and I know you probably think that's ridiculous, but I can't help it. He means so much to me, Mac."

Her adopted father sighed and moved over to her, wrapping her up in his arms. He didn't understand Jason's draw…he never had. But he had to admit that there was something decent about him if Maxie was so willing to put everything on the line.

"Make your visit quick, okay? You really shouldn't be allowed in there." He told her quietly and let her go.

"Thank you, Mac." She whispered and leaned up to kiss his cheek before she let herself out of his office.

Maxie headed towards the interrogation room and stopped outside the door. Diane spotted her and came over, greeting her.

They talked for a few minutes about Maxie's outfit before Maxie changed the subject. "Can I go in?"

"Of course. I'll have them bring Jason in." Diane gave the younger woman a smile before she moved over to talk to the men at the desk.

Maxie opened the interrogation room door and walked in, taking a seat on one side of the table. She sat there for a few minutes before the side door opened and Jason walked in, accompanied by an officer. He looked at her, a little surprised she was his visitor. But then again, he wasn't surprised. He had just hoped that she would realize she needed to get away from him…far away.

The officer handcuffed Jason to the table before leaving the room. Maxie bit her lip and looked across the table at Jason.

"Hey…" She said softly, not sure what else to say. They hadn't seen each other since the night they'd slept together.

"You shouldn't be here." Jason replied quietly and sighed. He'd missed her.

"I know, but I don't care." She smiled and reached across the table to take his hand. "I'm sure Diane has told you what's going on with me."

He nodded. "Yeah, she told me. I'm not exactly happy about it…"

Maxie shrugged. "Oh well. I will do anything to help you." She whispered. "You didn't do this."

"But I did, Maxie." He whispered in return.

"I don't care, Jason. I will not let you go to prison. Not now." She squeezed his hand. "You're not a murderer."

"You need to stay away. I'm not good for you…none of this is good for you. You're trying to start a career, you don't need this."

"But I need you…" Maxie said softly and wiped at her eyes that were starting to get a little teary. "There's no way I'm letting you end this right now, Jason. We're not done."

She got up from the table and moved around to his side. He turned slightly and looked at her as she maneuvered herself onto his lap. Slowly, she pressed her lips to his, letting them linger for a few moments.

"If I never get to feel you inside of me again," she whispered, "it would kill me. I need you…it's like a hunger."

Jason wrapped her up in his arms the best he could and closed his eyes. He was scared and worried, not just for himself. If he did end up going to jail, he had a feeling Maxie would become reckless once again.

He pressed a soft kiss to her neck as he held her, breathing in the subtle scent of her perfume. "Everything will be okay." He assured her.

Maxie desperately wanted to believe him, but she didn't. She squeezed her eyes tightly shut, trying to prevent the tears from falling. She didn't succeed.

Jason felt the moisture of her tears and sighed, holding her closer. "I'm so sorry, Maxie. This was never what I wanted for us…for you. You deserve so much better than me, but I don't want you to be with anyone else."

She pulled away slightly and looked into his eyes. She wasn't sure how many more times she'd be able to see Jason before the trial, if any at all. Maxie didn't want anything left unsaid. Taking a deep breath, she touched his cheek gently.

"I love you." She whispered, her voice barely audible.

Her words touched him deeply and he tightened his jaw a little. He never said anything he didn't mean, but he didn't want her feelings to go unacknowledged.

"I don't want to tell you that I love you and have it be a lie." He said softly, looking into her eyes.

"It's okay if you don't, I just…I want you to know that because it's the truth. I never meant to fall in love with you and to be honest, I didn't want to." She shrugged. "I had all these preconceived notions about you and they were all wrong. You're so amazing, Jason. You have so much to offer and I'm not ready to let you go."

"I don't know what the future holds for me. If I go to prison…"

Maxie silenced him by pressing her fingers to his lips.

"No, don't talk like that. We both need to keep up hope, okay?" She wiped her eyes a little before kissing him once again.

Jason deepened the kiss, feeling comforted by having Maxie around. She made him forget what he was up against and gave him hope.

The door opened beyond them and Maxie pulled back reluctantly and turned around. When she saw who was standing there, she brought her fingers up to her mouth, touching her swollen lips.

"Spinelli…"


	19. Chapter 19

I apologize for another long delay...I've been busy with school and on top of that, the trial of Microsoft Office ended on my laptop and I've had a hell of a time getting it to work again. One more chapter after this..I'll try to get it written and up within a couple days...enjoy!

Chapter 19

The moment her brain processed it was Spinelli, Maxie moved herself off of Jason's lap. Stunned by the sight before him, Spinelli remained motionless, his jaw wide open in shock.

"Before you freak out, please just listen to me, okay?" Maxie reached out to touch his arm, but Spinelli moved away.

"How…how long has this been going on?" He asked, barely able to get the words out. The thought of his beloved Maximista with Stone Cold did not sit well with him.

"Since a little bit after the hospital fire." Jason replied with a soft sigh. He regretted not telling Spinelli about what had been going on with Maxie. "I should have told you and I'm sorry, Spinelli. It wasn't anything serious until recently."

"I should have told you too," Maxie offered, but Spinelli didn't seem to care. "Jason saved my life the night of the fire…and we weren't talking, you and I. He was there for me and we just got closer.

"But Stone Cold is with the Goddess, is he not?"

Maxie looked over at Jason then, waiting for his answer. She had assumed that he'd sent Sam packing already.

Jason shook his head 'no' and Maxie breathed a soft sigh of relief. At least he'd followed through with his promise.

"Please don't be mad, Spinelli. Jason has been really good to me, okay? We should have told you, but nothing was really official…" She explained. "But then you and me weren't talking and I didn't want to…I don't know. I'm just sorry, okay? Please do not be mad at me or Jason."

"I need to speak with Stone Cold, alone please."

Maxie nodded slightly and looked over at Jason for a moment before grabbing her purse and walking out of the interrogation room.

Once the door was shut, the Jackal sat down across from Jason and banged his fists on the table angrily.

"How could you do that to me?!"

"Spinelli…we never meant to hurt you. When I pulled Maxie out of that fire, she stuck with me. I can't explain it, but she got under my skin. I sat with her while she was in a coma. You on the other hand, didn't even bother to stop by. Not even once did you check in on her to see how she was doing. So right now, Spinelli, you have no right to be jealous or upset. Maxie was supposedly your best friend, but you failed her when she needed you most." Jason told him harshly, shaking his head. "I care about Maxie…I might even be in love with her. Things aren't looking too great right now, so I need you to step up and watch out for her again. Forget about all that crap with Johnny…it didn't mean anything. Grow up and move on…"

Spinelli swallowed hard before he nodded. He knew his actions were not anything to be proud of, but in his defense, Maxie had hurt him badly.

"Stone Cold makes a very good point." He said softly.

"Maxie still loves you…she still wants to be your friend. You can change things, Spinelli. And if something happens to me, she'll need you to be there for her."

The younger man nodded again. "The Jackal will not let his beloved Maximista down again. Never again."

"I know you're probably not okay with Maxie and I being together, but I hope that in time you can accept it. I don't want to force it on you or make you uncomfortable, but I do care about her, okay? I want you to know that."

"Maximista and the Jackal were never meant to be together. Maybe Stone Cold and Maximista are. The universe works in weird and mysterious ways…maybe I was meant to bring you two closer together."

Jason shrugged. "Yeah, maybe." He said softly. "I probably won't get to talk to you before the trial, but I just want to say thank you for testifying. Whatever the outcome, we'll deal with it."

"I just hope the Jackal will be able to help his Master."

Jason sighed and nodded. "Thank you. Can you ask Maxie to come back in, please?"

Spinelli stood, nodding yet again. He left the interrogation room and found the young blonde pacing as she talked to Diane.

"So what are you saying? Is there no chance for him?" Maxie asking, scared and worried about the upcoming trial.

"There's no need to worry right now, okay? Let me just rethink a few things. The prosecution lawyer is up to something, I can feel it." Diane replied, checking her designer watch. "I need to go, I have an appointment in fifteen minutes. I'll get back to you later today."

Diane left the station and Maxie turned when she saw Spinelli off to the side. "Hey…"

"Stone Cold would like to speak with you." He said softly.

Maxie smiled slightly and nodded. "Okay, thank you. I'm really sorry, Spinelli. I hope you can forgive us."

"Do you love him?" He asked, needing to know the answer.

Maxie nodded immediately. "Yes, I do. It's kind of hard to explain how I feel about him, you know? There's this bond between us because of the fire."

"I do wish both of you the best." Spinelli said honestly.

"Thank you. I appreciate that more than you know, Spinelli. I want us to be able to be friends again and I hope that my relationship with Jason doesn't ruin the chances of that."

"It doesn't. We can talk soon, okay? You better get back in there before they take Stone Cold back to his cell."

"Yeah…I'll see you later?"

Spinelli nodded and gave her a small smile before heading for the door.

Maxie took a deep breath and watched him walk away for a few seconds before she hurried back into the interrogation room.

"How'd things go with Spinelli?" She asked, closing the door behind her.

"Well I think. He seems to be sort of okay with everything."

"Yeah, I think he'll be all right with it once he gets used to us…if there even will be an us."

"Hey…don't think like that. We'll work it out, okay? I don't want you to worry about that right now."

"It's hard not to. I just told you that I loved you and I could lose you in a couple days. That scares me. I was talking to Diane out there and she didn't have anything to say to help calm my nerves."

"Do me a favor, okay? Go to a spa…relax…take your mind off of all of this for a while, all right?" He reached across the table with his free hand and took hers. "I know you're scared, Maxie. There's not much I can say to change that. I'm scared too and I don't want to have to end things with you like this, you know? You do mean a lot to me and I'm not ready to end this. But we do need to be realistic and the truth is that my chances are really slim. It is something we should probably talk about."

"No, I don't want to. I want to keep up hope that we'll be able to spend the night in bed again…"

Jason smiled and squeezed her hand. "I have faith in Diane and her ability as a lawyer. She knows what to do in situations like these, okay? She may seem frazzled right now, but she'll pull through."

"I hope you're right."

"So go relax, all right? I'll see you soon…"

Maxie kissed him goodbye and managed to keep the tears at bay as an officer took him back to his cell.


	20. Chapter 20

Okay everyone, this is it! I want to thank all of you for being such faithful followers of me and my stories. This one got a little difficult for me in the later chapters, but I can't thank you enough for sticking with me.

I'll start on a new story when I get some time. It might not be for quite away, so make sure to add me to your alerts so you'll know when I post it.

Thanks again everyone! :) Enjoy!

Chapter 20

A few long, miserable days later, the trial of Jason Morgan versus the state of New York commenced. Maxie changed her outfit multiple times, finally deciding on a knee-length black skirt, a lilac blouse and black cropped jacket. Her heels matched her clutch, of course, and her hair was pulled up and held in place with bobby pins.

She sat a few rows behind Jason, next to Spinelli. At the last minute, Diane had decided to not use either of their testimonies. Maxie was relieved to say the least. She was dreading getting up on the stand. The last time she'd been on the stand, Ric Lansing had brought up many past events she didn't want to relive.

The courtroom was rather quiet, with only a few hushed whispers from the audience. Maxie looked around for a few moments before turning her attention to the back of Jason's head. She hadn't spoken to him since their time at the PCPD and she had tried to follow his advice and relax, but she hadn't been able to.

She'd gotten the chance to talk some things out with Spinelli as well and so far, they'd been able to start getting back to normal. It still felt a little forced on Spinelli's part, she'd noticed, but she was confident that would change.

"Jason Morgan has never been viewed as an innocent man in this town…" Diane began her opening statement and Maxie paid close attention. She crossed her fingers in her lap and took a deep breath as Diane continued.

Everyone on the defendant's side of the courtroom was nervous. Like Diane had mentioned, Jason was always presumed to be guilty, no matter what the crime. Her own father was practically the president of that large club of Jason-haters.

Spinelli noticed Maxie's nervousness and reached over to squeeze her hand gently. Maxie squeezed his hand back and gave him a small smile.

Diane finished her opening statement, making some very good points about Jason and about the night of the murder. She sat back down and Maxie watched as Jason took a deep breath. He was scared, she could tell.

The prosecution started off strong and didn't seem to stop. They had brought in witness after witness and Maxie started to doubt Diane's ability to pull this off. There wasn't much physical evidence to go on, but the prosecuting attorney managed to do fine without it.

Maxie watched the judge's reaction to what was being said, as well as the jury. It wasn't looking good.

After about another hour of questioning from both sides, the judge called for a recess. Maxie rose from her seat and walked up towards the table where Diane and Jason were.

"How do you think it's going?" Maxie asked. She wasn't sure if she was allowed to be talking to them, but she needed to be reassured.

Diane sighed and Jason took a small sip of water. He didn't look over at her.

"I have a few things up my sleeve, but I have to admit that the prosecution is pulling out all the stops. It will be difficult, but I believe there is still a chance we can pull this off." She set her pen down on the table and looked over at Jason. "I need to take a restroom break, are you good?"

Jason nodded his response, still keeping his head down.

Maxie felt the urge to cry. Jason Morgan was a strong, unemotional man, but he was faced with something that could change his life forever. He was terrified and she couldn't do anything to help him.

Diane escorted Maxie out of the courtroom and Spinelli followed as well.

"Do you honestly believe they'll find Jason not guilty?" Maxie asked again, hoping the answer wouldn't change because they weren't around Jason.

"Like I said, it will be difficult, but there is a lack of evidence that will be hard to forget about. Now if you'll excuse me, I've been dying to use the restroom for the past hour." She laughed softly and headed off in the direction of the nearest one.

Maxie sighed and wrapped her arms around herself. "I'm really scared, Spinelli. I don't think Jason is going to walk…"

"The Jackal too fears for his Master's future." Spinelli sighed as well and led Maxie over to one of the wooden benches outside of the courtroom. "The Brusque Lady of Justice is very talented in her field and we have to have faith in her ability."

"I'm trying to keep up hope, you know? But you've heard what the prosecution has brought up. How can Diane go against all of that? And you know all those jurors already are against Jason…all of Port Charles is."

Practically from the moment Jason Quartermaine became Jason Morgan, he was thrown into the mob lifestyle. Countless attempts had been made to end the violence associated with that life, but few had done any good. Jason had been at the center of a lot of those, especially recently. It didn't help much that he wasn't willing to talk when questioned, but then again, he knew everyone assumed he was guilty anyway.

Spinelli did his best to calm his friend down, but Maxie was almost too far gone to soothe. They shared a hug before heading back inside the courtroom again and taking their seats.

The judge banged his gavel to start the trial again and the prosecution continued their assault on Jason. Finally, the last witness came off the stand and Diane was given the chance to present her case.

Both Spinelli and Maxie sat vigil as they listened to Diane's evidence and the witnesses she called. Maxie was extremely grateful she didn't have to be up on the stand. The prosecution lawyer was worse than Ric Lansing, if that was even possible. His cross-examinations were practically frightening and she said a silent prayer of thanks to Diane for taking her off the list.

More long hours passed before the final arguments were said. Diane finished strong, but Maxie still doubted the outcome. She watched the jurors as they listened to the arguments and she wasn't sure how any of them felt. From her perspective, it could have gone either way.

Maxie waited and waited along with everyone else for the jury to return. When the jury finally came back in, Maxie looked at the large clock on the wall. They were only gone for a little over one hour and Maxie assumed that couldn't be a good sign.

As the jury foreman stood, Maxie grabbed Spinelli's hand and listened to him speak.

"We the jury find the defendant…not guilty."

The crowd erupted in emotion, most of it shock. Maxie and Spinelli on the other hand let our screams of joy. Jumping up out of their seats, they hugged each other tightly.

Maxie looked over at Jason and saw him hugging Diane. He was free…there was nothing in their way any longer.

She moved from Spinelli and walked up the aisle. Jason spotted her and smiled as he made his way towards her.

He opened up the small gate and let himself through before Maxie jumped into his arms. Jason held her close and closed his eyes. He heard and felt her start to cry and gently rubbed her back.

"I love you…" Jason whispered softly into her ear.

Maxie pulled back quickly, her eyes wide as she looked up at him.

"What?"

"You heard me…" He smiled and cupped her face in his hands, stroking her cheek with the pad of his thumb gently, wiping away some of her tears. "I love you."

A slow grin formed on her face. "I love you too…"

The End


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